There are renewed calls on Glanbia - the business behind Avonmore, Kilmeaden, Slimfast and Optimum Nutrition - to disassociate from cruel, dog-killing greyhound racing.
Banners advertising Glanbia’s “GAIN Pet Nutrition” brand remain on prominent display at tracks around the country, despite shocking revelations about cruelty and killing in greyhound racing.
The GAIN banners can be seen at Curraheen Park, Limerick, Kilkenny, Mullingar, Newbridge, Tralee, Shelbourne Park, Waterford and Youghal tracks.
In an email to a member of the public this month, a GAIN spokesperson maintained that “animal welfare has always been and continues to be a top priority for GAIN” and that “greyhound welfare is of the highest priority to us”.
ICABS has challenged this claim.
“Claiming greyhound welfare is a high priority for Glanbia/GAIN does not tally with your continued association with an activity which is responsible for painful injuries and deaths at tracks, the killing of thousands of greyhounds every year who are not fast enough to win races, the doping of greyhounds with prohibited substances and the export of greyhounds to hellholes in Spain, China and Pakistan,” ICABS stated in its email to Glanbia CEO Jim Bergin and Managing Director Siobhan Talbot. “You are one of a handful of companies that have shamefully continued to back greyhound racing, despite all the sickening revelations about animal cruelty.”
We reminded the company that RTE's award-winning "Greyhounds Running For Their Lives" documentary revealed that around 6,000 greyhounds are culled here every year simply because they are not fast enough to win races. It included horrifying scenes of dogs being delivered to a knackery where they were shot in the head and dumped in a skip. One shot dog was seen writhing on the ground in agony as his merciless owner drove away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
RTE’s documentary shocked and disgusted the nation and prompted multiple protests outside tracks and calls for a ban on greyhound racing.
The details about dogs being shot, mutilated, doped and dumped didn’t deter Glanbia. The month after “Greyhounds Running for Their Lives” was broadcast, its support for greyhound racing continued. The company’s GAIN brand was attached to all 10 races at Galway stadium on 31st July 2019, with prize money of over €14,000 on offer.
The company has continued to associate with greyhound racing, even after a dog running in one of its sponsored races - “Gain Intertrack Challenge Round 6” race at Galway Stadium - tested positive for prohibited substance Naproxen https://www.igb.ie/globalassets/rescource-centre/adverse-analytical-findings/adverse-analytical-findings-august-2019.pdf
Watch RTE’s "Greyhounds Running For Their Lives" documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
ACTION ALERT
Contact GAIN’s parent company, Glanbia and ask it to permanently end all support/sponsorship of greyhound racing.
Email: “Glanbia/GAIN - stop supporting dog-killing greyhound racing” to STalbot@glanbia.ie; JBergin@glanbia.ie; info@gainanimalnutrition.com; cbrindley@glanbia.ie
Siobhan Talbot
Glanbia Group Managing Director
STalbot@glanbia.ie
Jim Bergin
CEO, Glanbia
Glanbia House,
Kilkenny, Ireland
Telephone: +353 (0)56-777 2200 or 1890 321 321
Email: JBergin@glanbia.ie; info@gainanimalnutrition.com
Tweet to: @GlanbiaPlc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GAINpetnutrition/
A petition calling on Glanbia's "Gain Pet Nutrition" company to stop sponsoring greyhound racing has been signed by more than 8,000 people.
Sign the petition now at
https://www.change.org/p/jimtracy-glanbia-ie-tell-gain-pet-nutrition-to-stop-sponsoring-greyhound-racing
The petition which urges the public to choose a different brand of pet food states: "GAIN NUTRITION currently sponsor multiple greyhound racing tracks in Ireland. As seen recently in the RTE documentary RTE Investigates: Greyhounds, Running for their Lives, nearly 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year in Ireland because they're not fast enough to earn money for greyhound owners who prioritise lining their own pockets over the welfare of this beautiful species. Some of these greyhounds are killed in hell-like knackeries for between €10-€30 per dog. Others are being doped with illegal substances while most live lives of intolerable cruelty. Please sign this petition asking GAIN NUTRITION to stop sponsoring this horrendous act of barbarism. Until then, I will be asking all Gain food users to switch their food to a more ethical source."