Greyhound racing in Ireland is in "serious decline" and more tracks closures are on the way - that's according to a statement issued this week by the Greyhound Owners and Breeders Federation.

The group has criticised the semi-state Irish Greyhound Board, saying it is "hemorrhaging money and wants to close more tracks".

Commenting on the recent closure of Drumbo Park stadium in Northern Ireland (which "entertained far larger crowds that what is seen in Southern tracks"), it noted that "even a well attended track cannot survive from the income of 'bums on seats' alone".

"The Irish greyhound industry has been in serious decline for 11 years in spite of the IGB receiving €145 million of taxpayers' money over the 11 year period," the group states. "The €310,000 that IGB receives from taxpayers every week should not be taken for granted as income. It is currently keeping our industry afloat and has led to a lazy arrogance but we now have an industry that will not survive for a week when this handout is inevitably withdrawn."

The amount of taxpayers' money being received by the Irish Greyhound Board is actually more than €310,000 per week. In November, 92 TDs (most Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour) shamefully voted in favour of another massive grant, totalling €16.8 million (€800,000 more than they received for 2018). That equates to over €323,000 for every week of 2019 and brings to nearly a quarter of a billion euros the amount handed out to the greyhound board since 2001.

"The IGB is still unable to produce a racing product to a standard that will attract betting punters and give greyhound owners a reasonable income and also provide a standard of greyhound welfare that society expects," the Greyhound Owners and Breeders Federation says, going on to refer to a "farcical situation in Kilkenny over Christmas where a dog who only barely qualified comes out and wins a month later in a very fast time by 14 lengths".

"Incidents like this are repeated up and down the country every week of the year which diminish the value of our product as a betting medium," it added. "We have failed to produce a racing product that will allow punters to bet with confidence. Nobody believes the form on an Irish greyhound card..."

Following the closure of Drumbo Park stadium last week, one of its directors acknowledged the decline in attendance at that track and at tracks south of the border: "The Irish Greyhound Board in the Irish Republic - they're having serious problems too in getting numbers of people to attend."

The IGB's most recent annual report reveals that all of its tracks suffered financial losses in 2017, while its food and drinks subsidiary made a loss of nearly half a million euros. The next largest loss (€356,303) was seen at Limerick stadium - the headquarters of the IGB.

The report shows that track attendance fell in 2017 by 122,368 to 514,546 - the lowest level since records began - and the average attendance at race meetings dropped from 380 to 329. Track attendance has been steadily falling over the past decade. Since 2007, when attendance was 1.12 million, the number of people going to greyhound races has slumped by 54 per cent.

This is almost certainly linked to a growing awareness among the Irish public about the doping of dogs (to affect the outcomes of races) and the injuries and deaths of greyhounds. In the past four years, 1,369 greyhounds suffered injuries at tracks around the country and 438 were killed by track vets. Thousands more go missing and are presumed killed when found to be too slow to win races.

ACTION ALERT

Don't attend greyhound races or fundraisers/hen parties/office parties held at greyhound tracks.

The cruel and crumbling greyhound industry has received nearly a quarter of a billion euros of taxpayers' money since 2001 (including €16.8 million for 2019). Urge Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to end funding to the greyhound industry and instead direct the money to charities and other deserving causes. Email "Stop funding the cruel greyhound industry" to taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie, paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie, minister@per.gov.ie

An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar
Department of the Taoiseach,
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie, finegael@finegael.ie
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Paschal Donohoe TD
Minister for Finance
Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie, minister@per.gov.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1 6045810
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