Agriculture Minister Michael Creed has been asked to correct the record of Dáil Éireann following a reply he gave to a Parliamentary Question last month.
On 15 October, in response to a question from Maureen O’Sullivan TD (Independent, Dublin Central), Minister Creed said that the Irish Greyhound Board “has informed me that of the 67,220 greyhounds raced from 1st January 2019 to date, 0.34% of these have been injured while 0.11% have been euthanized (i.e. 228 injuries and 73 deaths).
Minister Creed’s reference to “67,220 greyhounds” was misleading - this figure refers to race entries and not individual dogs. As revealed at a Public Accounts Committee meeting in September, “the current dog pool for greyhound racing comprises approximately 3,600 animals”.
This means that the percentage of dogs injured and killed is around 20 times higher than the figure quoted by the Minister, i.e 7 per cent of the dogs in the racing pool have been injured so far this year and 2 per cent have been killed.
Responding last week to a request from Paul Murphy TD (Dublin South West, Solidarity) to correct the Dail record, Minister Creed clarified that “the figure of 67,220 represents the number of races by greyhounds at Irish greyhound stadia”.
The figure mentioned by Minister Creed on 15 October, and repeated last week, is inaccurate.
Irish Greyhound Board figures show that between January and the end of September, there were 74,802 race entries, with 254 greyhounds injured and 84 “put to sleep” at tracks (plus two additional fatalities). See full report at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ly4MKNAttTCe2wT3ATTJfLFkmdWhRwuf/view
Among the fatalities were a greyhound who suffered a heart attack at Shelbourne Park on 17th August and a greyhound who “collided with an in-field light pole” at Thurles track on 13 July. The majority of injuries suffered by greyhounds were hock injuries; others included injuries to leg, wrist, back, neck, tail, muscle and toe.
The latest figures bring to 1,813 the number of greyhounds injured and 592 the number killed at tracks around Ireland in the past five years alone.
These Irish Greyhound Board figures are based on “reported” injuries and deaths, suggesting that the actual number could be even higher. They do not include the greyhounds injured at tracks and later killed elsewhere.
Greyhounds are not only dying at tracks. As revealed in the recent “RTE Investigates: Greyhounds Running for Their Lives” documentary, around 6,000 are mercilessly killed every year simply because they are not fast enough to win races - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
In the past nine years, 2,782 greyhounds were also killed in dog pounds around the country.
Read the full Dail questions and answers at
https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2019-10-15a.75 (15 October 2019)
https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2019-10-24a.544 (24 October 2019)
https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2019-11-07a.487 (7 November 2019)
REPORTED GREYHOUND INJURIES AND DEATHS AT IRISH TRACKS
2019 (January to September)
254 injuries, 86 deaths
2018: 353 Injuries. 121 Deaths
2017: 357 Injuries. 124 Deaths
2016: 427 Injuries. 139 Deaths
2015: 422 Injuries. 122 Deaths
ACTION ALERT
Another €16.8 million of scarce public funds has been allocated to greyhound racing in Budget 2020. Since 2001, greyhound racing has received more than a quarter of a billion euros of taxpayers' money. Please contact your local TDs and demand that they stop this latest funding pledge by voting AGAINST the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2019 next month. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details for TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/32
Say NO to the cruel greyhound industry - don't attend greyhound races or fundraisers/hen parties/office parties held at greyhound tracks
STOP THE STATE FUNDING FOR GREYHOUND RACING
Contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe now and demand an end to state funding to greyhound racing.
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: @LeoVaradkar
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Paschal Donohoe TD
Minister for Finance
Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie; minister@per.gov.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1 6045810
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaschalDonohoe/
Tweet to @Paschald
Email “I support an end to all state funding to the cruel greyhound industry and a ban on hare coursing” to all Fine Gael TDs
maria.bailey@oireachtas.ie; sean.barrett@oireachtas.ie; pat.breen@oireachtas.ie; colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie; richard.bruton@oireachtas.ie; peter.burke@oireachtas.ie; catherine.byrne@oireachtas.ie; Ciaran.Cannon@oireachtas.ie; joe.carey@oireachtas.ie; corcorankennedy@eircom.net; Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie; michael.creed@oireachtas.ie; michael.darcy@oireachtas.ie; Jim.Daly@oireachtas.ie; john.deasy@oireachtas.ie; Pat.Deering@oireachtas.ie; Regina.Doherty@oireachtas.ie; Paschal.Donohoe@oireachtas.ie; andrew.doyle@oireachtas.ie; bernard.durkan@oireachtas.ie; damien.english@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Farrell@oireachtas.ie; frances.fitzgerald@oir.ie; peterm.fitzpatrick@oireachtas.ie; charles.flanagan@oireachtas.ie; Brendan.Griffin@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Harris@oireachtas.ie; Martin.Heydon@oireachtas.ie; Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie; paul.kehoe@oireachtas.ie; enda.kenny@oireachtas.ie; Sean.Kyne@oireachtas.ie; josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie; helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie; joe.mchugh@oireachtas.ie; Tony.McLoughlin@oireachtas.ie; Mary.MitchellOConnor@oireachtas.ie; Dara.Murphy@oireachtas.ie; Eoghan.Murphy@oireachtas.ie; hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie; tom.neville@limerick.ie; michael.noonan@oireachtas.ie; kate.oconnell@oireachtas.ie; Patrick.O'Donovan@oireachtas.ie; fergus.odowd@oireachtas.ie; JohnPaul.Phelan@oireachtas.ie; michael.ring@oireachtas.ie; noel@noelrock.ie; david.stanton@oir.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie
Email “I support an end to all state funding to the cruel greyhound industry and a ban on hare coursing” to all Fianna Fáil TDs
billykelleher@eircom.net; sean.haughey@oireachtas.ie; Bobby.Aylward@oireachtas.ie; brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie; johncurranff@gmail.com; Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie; michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie; john.brassil@oireachtas.ie; darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; eamon.ocuiv@oireachtas.ie; jackie.cahill@oireachtas.ie; john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; mattie.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; michael.moynihan.td@oireachtas.ie; niall.collins@oireachtas.ie; coper@eircom.net; Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie; thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie; timmy.dooley@oireachtas.ie; barry.cowen@oireachtas.ie; fiona@fiona.ie; declan.breathnach@oireachtas.ie; mary.butler@oireachtas.ie; kevin.okeeffe@oireachtas.ie; dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie; escanlonmcc@eircom.net; sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie; niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie; james@jameslawless.ie; shane.cassells@oireachtas.ie; willie.odea@oireachtas.ie; margaret.murphyomahony@oireachtas.ie; anne.rabbitte@oireachtas.ie; eugene.murphy@oireachtas.ie; jack.chambers@outlook.com; james.browne@oireachtas.ie; john.lahart@oireachtas.ie; lisa.chambers@oireachtas.ie; marc.macsharry@oireachtas.ie; jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie; pat.casey@oireachtas.ie; aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; frankorourke1@gmail.com
Email “I support an end to all state funding to the cruel greyhound industry and a ban on hare coursing" to all Labour Party TDs
brendan.howlin@oireachtas.ie; joan.burton@oireachtas.ie; alan.kelly@oir.ie; jan.osullivan@oir.ie; willie.penrose@oireachtas.ie; brendan.ryan@oir.ie; sean.sherlock@oir.ie
Please sign and share petitions
Ireland - Ban cruel hare coursing
www.change.org/p/ireland-ban-cruel-hare-coursing
Stop supporting the cruel greyhound industry
https://www.change.org/p/stop-supporting-the-cruel-greyhound-industry
GAA: Stop club fundraisers at greyhound tracks
https://www.change.org/p/gaa-stop-club-fundraisers-at-greyhound-tracks
Tell Gain Pet Nutrition to Stop Sponsoring Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/jimtracy-glanbia-ie-tell-gain-pet-nutrition-to-stop-sponsoring-greyhound-racing
Contact the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan, and urge her to permanently stop licensing cruel hare coursing.
Email: josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie or
Phone: +353 (0)1 631 3800
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://facebook.com/JosephaMadiganFG
Tweet to: @josephamadigan
Watch RTE Investigates: Greyhounds Running for Their Lives to witness the horrors of greyhound racing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
Irish Government grants to greyhound racing
2001 €11,777,583
2002 €13,613,163
2003 €12,837,200
2004 €13,382,800
2005 €13,670,000
2006 €14,012,000
2007 €14,572,000
2008 €15,257,000
2009 €13,625,600
2010 €11,852,800
2011 €11,460,000
2012 €11,258,000
2013 €11,004,000
2014 €10,844,000
2015 €13,600,000
2016 €14,800,000
2017 €16,000,000
2018 €16,000,000
2019 €16,800,000
Total: €256 million (€0.256 Billion)
Source: Agriculture Minister Michael Creed in response to a Dail Question in December 2018
https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2018-12-04a.1259