The Green Party has indicated that it WILL NOT be supporting a Social Democrats' motion which calls for an end to state funding to the cruel, dog-killing greyhound "industry". This despite the Green Party Animal Welfare Policy stating that “the Green Party seeks to cease the use of state funding for greyhound racing.”
Urge the Green Party to support the Social Democrats’ motion today, Wednesday, 25 November. Find out more about the motion at https://facebook.com/HollyCairnsTD/posts/716318505656890
The motion is due to be debated on Wednesday morning at 10am. Watch the debate live at https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/dail-eireann-live/
Speaking on the Week in Politics programme on Sunday (22 Nov 2020), Green Party Senator and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett defended the latest €2.4 million increase in funding for greyhound racing, which brings to €19.2 million the amount allocated for 2021.
She was questioned by programme presenter Áine Lawlor about the Social Democrats motion which calls for a reversal of the increase and a phasing out of the state funding which two thirds of citizens want ended.
“You are in government now - will you be opposing it?” Áine Lawlor asked.
“Well, this particular funding - across the board there was Covid funding delivered across every sector because of reductions in attendances - particularly in the greyhound sector and indeed the horse racing sector and other sectors,” Senator Hackett replied. “This is a one-off measure. This is not a change in the baseline funding for the greyhound sector.”
Asked if she will “feel as if you’re going against your political nature in opposing [the bill]?”, she responded: “It’s a Green Party policy that we wouldn’t be supportive of public funds to the greyhound sector. But we are in government [and] we have government agreement to continue to support the sector but we will work with our government colleagues and animal welfare organisations to do what we can to improve it for the greyhound sector,” she added.
The public do not want the government to “improve it for the greyhound sector”. What’s wanted is an end to the funding which is propping up an activity responsible for the deaths of thousands of dogs every year. As revealed in last year’s award-winning documentary, “RTÉ Investigates: Greyhounds Running for Their Lives”, around 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year simply because they are not fast enough to win races.
After the documentary was broadcast, the Green Party issued a statement to say: "Following the RTÉ Investigates programme, the Green Party are calling for taxpayers’ money to be redirected away from greyhound racing to animal welfare and environmental groups. The Greens are also calling for an immediate suspension of State funding to the Irish Greyhound Board as it is clear the organisation is incapable of managing the rogue element in the industry."
The Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund has channelled €1,460,000,000 (€1.46 BILLION) of taxpayers’ money into horse and greyhound racing since 2001. For 2021, it has pledged not only €19.2 million for greyhound racing but also €76.8 million for horse racing.
Watch the full Week in Politics programme on the RTE Player
https://www.rte.ie/news/player/the-week-in-politics/2020/1122/
Email 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
Eamon Ryan TD (Dublin Bay South)
Leader, Green Party
Tel: 01 618 3894
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EamonRyanGP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan
Catherine Martin TD (Dublin Rathdown)
Green Party Deputy Leader and Minister for Culture and Heritage
Tel: (01) 618 3018
Email: catherine.martin@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Catherinemartingreen/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/cathmartingreen
Malcolm Noonan TD (Carlow Kilkenny)
Heritage Minister
Tel: (01) 6183148
Email: malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/votemalcolmnoonan1/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/noonan_malcolm
Neasa Hourigan TD (Dublin Central)
Tel: (01) 618 3172
Email: neasa.hourigan@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: @neasa_neasa
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neasahourigangreen/
Joe O'Brien TD (Dublin Fingal)
Tel: 01 618 4114
Email: joe.obrien@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: @joefingalgreen
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joefingalgreen/
Patrick Costello TD (Dublin South Central)
Tel: (01) 618 3566
Email: patrick.costello@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: @Costellop
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrickcostellogreenparty
Francis Noel Duffy TD (Dublin South West)
Tel: (01) 618 4236
Email: francisnoel.duffy@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: @FNDuffy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrancisNoelDuffy/
Roderic O’Gorman TD (Dublin West)
Tel: (01) 618 3222
Email: roderic.ogorman@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: @rodericogorman
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RodericOG/
Ossian Smyth TD (Dún Laoghaire)
Tel: (01) 618 3362
Email: ossian.smyth@greenparty.ie
Twitter: @smytho
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smythossian/
Brian Leddin TD (Limerick City)
Tel: (01) 618 3205
Email: brian.leddin@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: @BrianLeddin
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Leddin4Limerick/
Marc O’Cathasaigh TD (Waterford)
Tel: (01) 618 3223
Email: marc.ocathasaigh@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: @MarcKC_Green
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ocathasaighmarc
Steven Matthews TD (Wicklow)
Tel: (01) 6183513
Email: steven.matthews@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: @stevensgreen1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stevenmatthewsgreenparty/
Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details for all TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/33
"Stop all funding to cruel greyhound racing - Support the Social Democrats’ motion” - Email all Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Sinn Fein and Labour Party TDs to urge them to support the Social Democrats’ motion and bring greyhound racing funding to an end.
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
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 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