Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland have announced that they will stop encouraging tourists to visit greyhound tracks. The positive move comes following a warning from Tourism Minister, Shane Ross that cruel greyhound racing - which mercilessly kills 6,000 dogs every year because they are too slow to win races - is “causing damage to our reputation as a tourist destination”.
The Sunday Times has reported that Minister Ross wrote to Fáilte Ireland CEO, Paul Kelly, stating: “In the light of evidence available to you and the unacceptable morality of the alleged practices, I would like both agencies...to jointly consider what role greyhound racing should continue to play in the marketing and promotion of Ireland.”
“The alleged cruelty to greyhounds, as evidenced in the [RTE Investigates] programme, is the primary cause of my grave concern and is unacceptable,” he wrote.
Fáilte Ireland has told Minister Ross that the tourism bodies will not be “featuring greyhound racing in our tourism-marketing campaigns domestically and overseas” pending a review of the greyhound industry by the Department of Agriculture.
“We are currently removing greyhound racing from our websites,” Fáilte Ireland’s CEO added. “Tourism Ireland has removed greyhound racing from ireland.com, and content is being removed from the Discover Ireland and Dublin Convention Bureau [websites] by the end of October.”
The Sunday Times' front page article, headed “Shane Ross: immoral dog racing will deter tourists”, also revealed that the Irish Greyhound Board “wanted to join Tourism Ireland in November at a travel show in Offenbach, Germany, aimed at German, Swiss and Austrian travel operators; and at the World Travel Market in London in November but that these events were “already booked out, however, and IGB will not be part of the Irish travelling party”.
The IGB is, however, to take part in a Tourism Ireland “Flavours of Ireland” event in London in October. Fáilte Ireland told Minister Ross that the agency was honouring a pre-existing commitment to IGB, which had paid in June to attend the event and had made travel arrangements for its personnel. The IGB should not be allowed to take part in this event.
ICABS thanks Minister Shane Ross for contacting Fáilte Ireland and Tourism Ireland. We have been urging the tourism bodies to drop greyhound racing for years.
In our appeals, we pointed out that no tourism body should in any way associate with greyhound racing - due to the animal cruelty and also the fact that greyhound racing has brought international shame to Ireland and caused major damage to our country's image. For example:
- A winning greyhound who tested positive for cocaine three times made international headlines (UK, USA, Russia, France, Spain, Italy, etc) and generated much negative publicity.
- An Irish greyhound trainer whose participation in illegal blooding of dogs (using live piglets) was broadcast on Australian national TV and left viewers disgusted. He was banned from greyhound racing in Australia.
- An Irish greyhound transporter who brought greyhounds to sell at a track in the UK caused "extreme suffering" to the dogs (including one described as "a skeleton on legs") was fined £5,000 and "warned off indefinitely"
- There is much disgust in Ireland, the US, UK and across Europe at the continued export of Irish greyhounds to Pakistan and China - countries with no animal welfare laws.
An ICABS petition calling on Fáilte Ireland/Tourism Ireland to stop promoting greyhound racing has been signed by over 46,000 people. https://www.change.org/p/tourism-ireland-stop-promoting-greyhound-racing Thank you to everyone who signed and shared the petition.
SUNDAY TIMES REPORT
Shane Ross: immoral dog racing will deter tourists
Minister asks agencies to review support for sport
The Sunday Times
September 29 2019
by Stephen O’Brien, Political Editor
Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland have stopped promoting greyhound racing as an attraction for visitors after warnings from minister Shane Ross that the sport could damage Ireland’s reputation as a holiday destination.
Ross had asked the tourism agencies to review their support for coursing and greyhound racing “in the light of the evidence available”, and the “morality” of abuses in the industry highlighted recently by the RTE Investigates programme.
The tourism minister wrote to Paul Kelly, Failte Ireland’s chief executive, asking that the agencies “jointly consider what role greyhound racing should continue to play in the marketing and promotion of Ireland”, and to report back to him.
“The alleged cruelty to greyhounds, as evidenced in the [TV] programme, is the primary cause of my grave concern and is unacceptable,” Ross wrote.
“I am aware of the reputational damage the alleged practices have done to the greyhound industry. I am concerned there is consequential damage to our reputation as a tourism destination.”
Paul Kelly has responded that tourism authorities will not be “featuring greyhound racing in our tourism-marketing campaigns domestically and overseas” pending a review of the greyhound industry by the Department of Agriculture.
“We are currently removing greyhound racing from our websites,” Kelly has told Ross. “Tourism Ireland has removed greyhound racing from ireland.com, and content is being removed from the Discover Ireland and Dublin Convention Bureau [websites] by the end of October.”
Kelly also told the minister that directors from Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland have sought a meeting with the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) and are awaiting a response.
RTE Investigates reported in June that the Irish greyhound industry was breeding 10 times more dogs than could compete in racing or coursing events, and up to 6,000 a year were being culled as a result.
A leaked consultants’ report commissioned by IGB showed dogs were being slaughtered when they failed to produce the necessary qualifying times to enter races or because of a decline in their performance.
Three key IGB sponsors — Barry’s Tea, FBD Insurance and Connolly’s Red Mills, an animal feed firm — recently ended their association with greyhound racing.
The cabinet has instructed Andrew Doyle, junior agriculture minister, to conduct a review of the greyhound industry and its use of €16.8m in annual state funding.
Ross has reportedly raised the issue at cabinet a number of times, demanding a more robust response from government, including demands for resignations from the board of IGB.
In his letter to the tourism authorities, the minister said: “In the light of evidence available to you and the unacceptable morality of the alleged practices, I would like both agencies . . . to jointly consider what role greyhound racing should continue to play in the marketing and promotion of Ireland.”
Despite the minister’s plea, IGB will take part in Flavours of Ireland, a Tourism Ireland promotion event in London next month. Kelly told Ross the agency was honouring a pre-existing commitment to IGB, which had paid in June to attend the event and had made travel arrangements for its personnel.
IGB also wanted to join Tourism Ireland in November at a travel show in Offenbach, Germany, aimed at German, Swiss and Austrian travel operators; and at the World Travel Market in London in November, where €3bn in business was transacted last year. These events were already booked out, however, and IGB will not be part of the Irish travelling party.