Newly elected Green Party TD, Malcolm Noonan, has asked the Minister for Agriculture “if funds will be reallocated from the Irish Greyhound Board to animal welfare charities”. While the taxpayer-funded Irish Greyhound Board receives €1.4 million every month of the year, animal welfare charities struggle to survive.
Deputy Noonan (Carlow Kilkenny) has previously condemned the massive government grants, stating: “This [greyhound] industry receives over €16 million annually in State funding while animal welfare charities are bursting at the seams with dogs rescued from euthanasia due to being too slow for racing. It is barbaric and cannot be allowed to continue”.
Since 2001, greyhound racing has received more than a quarter of a billion euros of scarce public funds, including €16.8 million for 2020. It’s time for this to end and for the money to be urgently redirected to the health bodies, homeless charities, sports clubs, animal rescue centres and environmental groups crying out for support.
In March, Malcolm Noonan urged the government to shut down horse and greyhound racing over fears that those involved were spreading coronavirus. "Horse and dog racing are being held solely to facilitate gambling and are bringing people together who could potentially get infected and infect others,” he stated. All racing was suspended on 24 March.
ACTION ALERT
STOP THE STATE FUNDING FOR GREYHOUND RACING
Please contact your local TDs and demand that they vote against funding for cruel greyhound racing. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details for TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/33
Urge the leaders of Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and Labour (who back the grants every year) to stop the funding.
Leo Varadkar
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01-619 4020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
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Micheál Martin
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie
Phone: 021-432 0088
Leinster House: 01–618 3000
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Alan Kelly TD
Leader, Labour Party
Tel: 067 34190
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Dail Q&A - 20 May 2020
Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party): To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if funds will be reallocated from the Irish Greyhound Board to animal welfare charities; if not, if such charities will be supported through other means (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael): Bord na gCon is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. Bord na gCon is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The welfare of greyhounds remains a priority for Bord na gCon and is a key consideration during the suspension of racing activity. From 24th March 2020, Bord na gCon has implemented a Covid-19 greyhound care payments scheme costing approximately €357,000 per month. Since the cessation of racing and the absence of any other income, Bord na gCon is solely reliant on the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund for its operational costs.
Animal welfare charities do invaluable work, which the State could never replicate, by virtue of their voluntary nature. My Department will give careful consideration to how we will support these charities in future, given the challenges they are facing and the loss of voluntary support because of the lockdown. We have provided advice to them regarding the care of animals and livestock, which includes the care of companion animals etc. I appreciate, however, that this is an area that will require ongoing vigilance.
Malcolm Noonan TD (Green Party) and Animal Cruelty Issues
“This [greyhound] industry receives over €16 million annually in State funding while animal welfare charities are bursting at the seams with dogs rescued from euthanasia due to being too slow for racing. It is barbaric and cannot be allowed to continue" Cllr Malcolm Noonan.
In July 2019, Cllr Malcolm Noonan attended a "Ban Greyhound Racing" protest outside Kilkenny greyhound track and was photographed holding a "Boycott Greyhound Racing" placard https://twitter.com/banbloodsports/status/1152343146099032064
Responding to the content of the ICABS “Coursing Cruelty Catalogue 2014-15”, Cllr Noonan stated that “it highlights a shocking disregard for the welfare of the animals.”
In February 2013, Cllr Noonan joined calls for a ban on foxhunting, describing it as “barbaric”. His statement came in the wake of an horrific attack on a dog by hunt hounds in a Coillte forest in Carlow which left the family pet fighting for its life with severe injuries.
"To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if funds will be reallocated from the Irish Greyhound Board to animal welfare charities; if not, if such charities will be supported through other means" Dail question from Malcolm Noonan TD, 20 May 2020.
The Green Party is calling for the cessation of all non-essential activities as part of a suite of further measures to reduce the risk of infection from Covid 19. Green Party TD and Spokesperson for Community and Rural Affairs Malcolm Noonan said that ‘behind closed doors’ horse racing and greyhound racing as well as other non-essential activities should be shut down immediately as they still were bringing considerable numbers of people together, increasing the risk of infection. We also believe that golf clubs which remain open should be closed as they risk bringing people together. “While we continue to support the HSE and CMO on their current social distancing strategy, we are of the view that activities such as horse and dog racing are being held solely to facilitate gambling and are bringing people together who could potentially get infected and infect others,” said Deputy Noonan. from "Greyhound and horse racing meetings behind closed doors should be shut", Green Party statement, 24th March 2020