Sinn Féin has today confirmed that it will VOTE AGAINST a massive €84 million grant that the government is poised to hand over to horse and greyhound racing. The party made the announcement in response to an appeal from the Irish Council Against Blood Sports, in which we highlighted that a majority in Ireland want the funding to stop.
In a statement from the office of Gerry Adams TD, the party said: ”This afternoon Sinn Féin will call a vote to oppose the Fine Gael proposed Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations motion. Since 2001, the horse and greyhound industries have received over €1.4 billion in taxpayers' money and Sinn Féin will not support an additional €84 million of taxpayers' money being given to such industries while we have a crisis in our housing and healthcare sectors. Furthermore, much of the money given to the horse racing industry ends up as prize money in the pockets of wealthy horse owners and trainers.”
Sinn Fein TD Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South-Central) added: “Sinn Féin has for many years raised concerns regarding animal welfare issues in the greyhound sector and we will not support any additional state funding to the greyhound industry until it cleans up its act.”
Thank you to Sinn Fein for continuing its policy of opposing funding to horse and greyhound racing.
Join us in urging other parties to follow suit. Later today, Fine Gael will attempt to push the €84 million in funding through, without allowing a debate on the issue. Disappointingly, both Fianna Fail and the Labour Party have both indicated that they will vote in favour of the funding. This, despite opinion polls confirming that most people want to see the funding stopped.
These parties are shamefully disregarding the shocking revelations about animal cruelty in greyhound racing contained in "RTE Investigates: Greyhounds running for their lives".
The documentary revealed that 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year simply because they are not fast enough to win. Viewers were shown horrifying scenes of greyhounds being delivered to knackeries to be shot in the head, dogs with their ears cut off or burned with acid (to remove identity tattoos before being dumped) and shot greyhounds dumped in a quarry. One greyhound was seen writhing on the ground in agony at a knackery as his merciless owner drove away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
The Irish public is shocked and disgusted at the revelations, which have sparked multiple, ongoing protests outside tracks and calls for a ban on greyhound racing and a boycott of sponsors. A RED C opinion poll shows that a two thirds majority want the government to stop funding greyhound racing. Petitions urging the government to permanently end the massive state grants to greyhound racing have been signed over 300,000 times.
URGENT ACTION ALERT
A vote will be taken today, Tuesday 3rd December, on the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2019. Please contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and demand an end to state funding to greyhound racing and horse racing. Tell them to redirect the funds to the many deserving charities crying out for funding.
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
CONTACT ALL TDS AND URGE THEM TO VOTE AGAINST THE FUNDING
SAMPLE LETTER
(If you have time, please write your own personal letter)
Dear Deputy,
I am writing to urge you to please VOTE AGAINST the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2019 on Tuesday 3rd December.
The regulations are seeking to channel another €84 million of taxpayers’ money into the horse and greyhound racing gambling industries, bringing to more than one and a quarter billion euros the amount handed over since 2001.
Much of the money given to horse racing ends up as prize money in the pockets of wealthy horse owners and trainers, while the funding for greyhound racing continues despite plummeting attendance at tracks due to shocking revelations about cruelty and killing.
If you saw the recent "RTE Investigates: Greyhounds running for their lives", you will understand why there should be absolutely no support given to this shameful industry. The programme revealed that 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year simply because they are not fast enough to win. We were shown horrifying scenes of greyhounds being delivered to knackeries to be shot in the head. One dog was seen writhing on the ground in agony as his merciless owner drove away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
The programme also highlighted the illegal practice in the greyhound industry of doping dogs to make them run faster or slower to influence the outcomes of races. Also shown were greyhounds with their ears chopped off or burned with acid (to remove identity tattoos before being dumped) and the hellholes that await Irish greyhounds exported to China and Pakistan.
The Irish public is shocked and disgusted at the revelations, which have sparked multiple, ongoing protests outside tracks and calls for a ban on greyhound racing.
A RED C opinion poll commissioned by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports and Greyhound Action Ireland shows that two out of every three Irish adults agree that the government should stop funding greyhound racing [66% Agree, 16% Disagree, 18% Don't Know, Of those stating an opinion, 80% of these agree that the Irish Government should stop funding greyhound racing while 20% disagree.] An opinion poll conducted by TheJournal.ie also found that an 80 per cent majority want the government to permanently end the grants. Petitions urging the government to stop the funding have been signed over 300,000 times.
It is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE that scarce public funds have been pumped into these gambling industries. It is time for this to be stopped and for the money to be redirected to the many deserving causes crying out for funding.
Please vote AGAINST the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2019.
Thank you. I look forward to your positive response.
Yours sincerely,
[Name/Address]
Email the letter 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 the letter 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 the letter 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
Visit the Oireachtas website for telephone numbers and other contact details for all TDs
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/32
Please sign and share petitions
Stop supporting the cruel greyhound industry
https://www.change.org/p/stop-supporting-the-cruel-greyhound-industry
Ban Blood Sports in Ireland Now
https://www.change.org/petitions/ban-blood-sports-in-ireland
Ireland - Ban cruel hare coursing
www.change.org/p/ireland-ban-cruel-hare-coursing
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
Sinn Fein: Support a ban on cruel hare coursing
https://www.change.org/p/sinn-fein-support-a-ban-on-cruel-hare-coursing
Watch RTE Investigates: Greyhounds Running for Their Lives to witness the horrors of greyhound racing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM