Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns (Cork South West) has described as “scandalous” the government’s continued funding of cruel greyhound racing despite “overarching appalling standards of care and the loss-making nature of the industry”.
The budget has allocated €19.2 million for greyhound racing in 2021 - that’s an increase of €2.4 million over last year’s figure.
Speaking on the Claire Byrne radio show on RTE Radio 1 this morning (18 Nov 2020), Deputy Cairns - the Social Democrat’s Spokesperson for Agriculture and Disability - reminded listeners about the suffering and death inherent in greyhound racing.
“We all know from an RTE documentary called Running for Their lives, that 16,000 greyhounds are born here every year and the documentary found that 5,987 of those are killed because they fail to make qualification times or their performance has declined,” she stated. “So basically, the industry kills almost 6,000 dogs annually for not racing fast enough and our government funds it.”
She highlighted that greyhound racing is “a loss-making industry”, with attendance at tracks down by 55% between 2008 and 2018 and the combined loss for tracks between 2019 and 2022 predicted to be 30 million. Also noted was the results of a RED C opinion poll which found that a two thirds majority of Irish citizens want the government to stop funding greyhound racing, with only 16% in favour of the funding continuing.
“It is impossible to understand why government continues to fund it and has now increased its funding,” she commented. “We’re in the middle of a pandemic and we are constantly hearing that there just isn't the funding for essential services like disability support services, refuge spaces for victims of domestic violence, supports for communities that are flooding time and time again - it is beyond infuriating to see where and how money IS being allocated.”.
Speaking in favour of the funding was David McManus who was introduced as “Fine Gael Councillor who is mayor of South County Dublin”. However, it later came to light that Mr McManus also previously worked with the Irish Greyhound Board. His LinkedIn page shows that he was in a "communications" position with the Irish Greyhound Board between February 2017 and September 2018 https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcmanusdavid
Listeners were not told about this connection when he was being introduced and he neglected to mention it when presenter Claire Byrne asked: “Are you a fan of greyhound racing? I’m just wondering why you are so invested”.
To this, he responded: “Well no, I go horse racing. I go greyhound racing. I am a member of Leopardstown Racecourse. I would have been at Cheltenham this year but it was cancelled due to Covid so I didn’t go. So that’s my background on this.”
Note: Cheltenham Festival was NOT cancelled this year. The organisers of the controversial 4-day horse racing event in March - which had a total attendance of 251,684 - were strongly criticised for proceeding. It is believed that the festival played a role in spreading coronavirus in the UK and also in Ireland, with racing fans travelling back and forth.
Cllr McManus was asked by Claire Byrne “how can you justify funding a loss making industry to the tune of over €19 million?”
“People will hear this - an extra over 2 million for greyhound racing [total €19.2m] when actually there are so many demands on the public purse,” she said. “It does seem like a strange thing for the government to do.”
Maintaining that “we have a proud history of horse racing and greyhound racing in this country for over a hundred years”, he said that the two gambling activities - which have received more than one and a quarter billion euros of taxpayers’ money since 2001 - are “not just sports, they are industries”.
His claim that there are thousands of jobs in greyhound racing was dismissed by Deputy Cairns as “factually incorrect”.
“The fact of the matter is that 850 staff are directly employed in the industry and 700 of those are part time.”
Asked if the government should also stop funding other sectors - including in the Arts that are not self-financing - she replied: “None of those sectors treat animals in the way this industry does. We’re talking about SIX THOUSAND dogs killed ANNUALLY for not running fast enough. It is absolutely outrageous the way these dogs are treated.”
“I think if you ask most taxpayers, they don’t want to see their tax money going into this,” she added.
ACTION ALERT
Contact Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe and demand an end to state funding to horse racing and greyhound racing. Tell them to redirect the funds to the many deserving charities, health/homeless/environmental groups, sports clubs, animal rescue centres, etc crying out for funding.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1–618 4350 or +353 (0)21-432 0088
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar
Telephone: +353 (0)1-640 3133
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Paschal Donohoe TD
Minister for Finance
Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie; minister@per.gov.ie
Tel: 01 6045810
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaschalDonohoe/
Tweet to @Paschald
SAMPLE LETTER
(If you have time, please write your own personal letter)
Dear Deputy,
I am writing to urge you to please oppose further funding to horse and greyhound racing.
The Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations are set to channel another €96 million of taxpayers’ money into the two gambling activities in 2021, bringing to more than €1.46 Billion the amount handed over in the past two decades.
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 revelations about obscene cruelty and killing and calls for a ban.
If you saw the "RTE Investigates: Greyhounds running for their lives" documentary, you will understand why there should be absolutely no support given to this shameful industry. The programme revealed that around 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 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 protests outside tracks.
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 want the government to stop funding greyhound racing [66% Agree, 16% Disagree, 18% Don't Know] Petitions urging the government to stop the funding have attracted over 400,000 signatures.
It is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE that scarce public funds have been pumped into horse and greyhound racing. It is time for this to be stopped and for the money to be redirected to the many deserving charities, health/homeless/environmental groups, sports clubs, animal rescue centres, etc crying out for funding.
Thank you. I look forward to your positive response.
Yours sincerely,
[Name/Address]
Email the letter to all Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour Party TDs.
Fianna Fáil TDs
john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie; brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie; aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; michael.moynihan.td@oireachtas.ie; micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie; sean.haughey@oireachtas.ie; jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie; darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; jack@jackchambers.ie; anne.rabbitte@oireachtas.ie; eamon.ocuiv@oireachtas.ie; james.lawless@oireachtas.ie; sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie; sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie; barry.cowen@oireachtas.ie; willie.odea@oireachtas.ie; niall.collins@oireachtas.ie; Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie; dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie; thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie; marc.macsharry@oireachtas.ie; jackie.cahill@oireachtas.ie; mary.butler@oireachtas.ie; james.browne@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.murnaneoconnor@oireachtas.ie; cathal.crowe@oireachtas.ie; james.oconnor@oireachtas.ie; padraig.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; christopher.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; paul.mcauliffe@oireachtas.ie; john.lahart@oireachtas.ie; cormac@cormacdevlin.ie; normafoley1@eircom.net; joe.flaherty@oireachtas.ie; Stephen.Donnelly@oireachtas.ie
Fine Gael TDs
JohnPaul.Phelan@oireachtas.ie; Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie; joe.carey@oireachtas.ie; david.stanton@oir.ie; colm.burke@oireachtas.ie; michael.creed@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie; joe.mchugh@oireachtas.ie; richard.bruton@oireachtas.ie; Eoghan.Murphy@oireachtas.ie; Paschal.Donohoe@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Farrell@oireachtas.ie; emer.higgins@oireachtas.ie; neale.richmond@oireachtas.ie; josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie; colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.carrollmacneill@oireachtas.ie; Ciaran.Cannon@oireachtas.ie; hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie; Brendan.Griffin@oireachtas.ie; bernard.durkan@oireachtas.ie; Martin.Heydon@oireachtas.ie; charles.flanagan@oireachtas.ie; kieran.odonnell@oireachtas.ie; Patrick.O'Donovan@oireachtas.ie; peter.burke@oireachtas.ie; fergus.odowd@oireachtas.ie; alan.dillon@oireachtas.ie; michael.ring@oireachtas.ie; helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie; damien.english@oireachtas.ie; frank.feighan@oireachtas.ie; paul.kehoe@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Harris@oireachtas.ie
Green Party TDs
Eamon.Ryan@greenparty.ie; catherine.martin@oireachtas.ie; patrick.costello@oireachtas.ie; francisnoel.duffy@oireachtas.ie; neasa.hourigan@oireachtas.ie; brian.leddin@oireachtas.ie; steven.matthews@oireachtas.ie; malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie; joe.obrien@oireachtas.ie; marc.ocathasaigh@oireachtas.ie; roderic.ogorman@oireachtas.ie
ossian.smyth@greenparty.ie
Sinn Fein TDs
john.brady@oireachtas.ie; pat.buckley@oireachtas.ie; Sean.Crowe@oireachtas.ie; david.cullinane@oireachtas.ie; Pearse.Doherty@oireachtas.ie; dessie.ellis@oir.ie; kathleen.funchion@oireachtas.ie; martinkennysf@gmail.com; MaryLou.McDonald@oireachtas.ie; denise.mitchell@oireachtas.ie; imelda.munster@oireachtas.ie; eoin.obroin@oireachtas.ie; donnchadh.olaoghaire@oireachtas.ie; aengus.osnodaigh@oireachtas.ie; louiseoreillysf@gmail.com; maurice.quinlivan@oireachtas.ie; Brian.Stanley@oireachtas.ie; mark.ward@oireachtas.ie; chris.andrews@oireachtas.ie; martin.browne@oireachtas.ie; matt.carthy@oireachtas.ie; sorca.clarke@oireachtas.ie; roseconwaywalsh@eircom.net; reada.cronin@oireachtas.ie; pa.daly@oireachtas.ie; paul.donnelly@oireachtas.ie; mairead.farrell@oireachtas.ie; thomas.gould@oireachtas.ie; johnny.guirke@oireachtas.ie; claire.kerrane@oireachtas.ie; padraig.maclochlainn@oir.ie; johnny.mythen@oireachtas.ie; ruairi.omurchu@oireachtas.ie; darren.orourke@oireachtas.ie; patriciaryan975@gmail.com; pauline.tully@oireachtas.ie; vwynne@gmail.com
Labour Party TDs
sean.sherlock@oireachtas.ie; aodhan.oriordain@oireachtas.ie; duncan.smith@oireachtas.ie; gerald.nash@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Kelly@oireachtas.ie; brendan.howlin@oireachtas.ie
Irish Government grants to horse racing
2001 €47,110,330
2002 €54,452,651
2003 €51,348,800
2004 €53,531,200
2005 €54,680,000
2006 €56,047,000
2007 €58,539,000
2008 €61,028,800
2009 €54,502,000
2010 €47,411,200
2011 €45,830,000
2012 €45,032,000
2013 €44,016,000
2014 €43,376,000
2015 €54,400,000
2016 €59,200,000
2017 €64,000,000
2018 €64,000,000
2019 €67,200,000
2020 €67,200,000
2021 €76,800,000
Total: €1,169 Million (€1.169 Billion)
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
2020 €16,800,000
2021 €19,200,000
Total: €292 Million (€0.292 Billion)
Source: Department of Agriculture