Independent Senator Alice Mary Higgins has told the Seanad that "dogs should never be treated as a crop" and that cruel, dog-killing greyhound racing "ultimately needs to be ended".

Speaking during a 8th December 2021 debate on the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2021 - which channel another €88 million of taxpayers' money into racing - Senator Higgins highlighted the “very serious welfare concerns” including concerns about the export of Irish greyhounds, a lack of traceability and the ongoing deaths of greyhounds.

Referring to Greyhound Racing Ireland's statements about the rehoming of greyhounds - figures which account for only a fraction of the greyhounds born into racing every year - she commented that "rehoming is one thing, but the curtailment of excessive breeding and the proper tracing of puppies from birth - not just from the age of 12 months - is still a concern".

"We are aware of the numbers of deaths that have taken place of dogs which do not meet the standards that are set," she noted.

As revealed in RTE's "Greyhounds Running For Their Lives" documentary, thousands of greyhounds are mercilessly killed every year because they are not fast enough to win races. The documentary featured shocking footage of greyhounds who were killed and thrown into a quarry and others who were brought to a knackery where they were shot in the head and dumped into a skip.

"Dogs should never be treated as a crop," Senator Higgins stated. "[There is] the lack of traceability, the lack of proper measures in respect of exports and the very serious welfare concerns that are there."

She pointed out that there are also concerns in relation to the absence of vets at greyhound trial meetings which are held at GRI stadiums and private tracks. This means that greyhounds who sustain painful injuries at these trials have to wait in agony for a vet to arrive or have to be transported out of the venue to get veterinary attention.

Senator Higgins went on to question the employment claims from Greyhound Racing Ireland, saying "there is some ambiguity of where that employment is because if it's not in having vets at meetings, if it's not there in terms of the welfare of greyhounds which takes only 10% of the proposed €17.6 million that is going to Greyhound Racing Ireland..."

She suggested that instead of ploughing millions of euro into the dying greyhound industry, the government should divert the money to animal welfare groups - "It's really notable the contrast compared with the €1.5 million [in government funding for 2021] that goes to animal welfare organisations of every kind across the country. I have no doubt that if we chose to invest even €5 million or €10 million of what we put into greyhounds into animal welfare organisations, that that would generate employment and would indeed be a contribution and something of value to Irish society."

"Greyhound racing is a sport which needs reform and ultimately needs to be ended," she continued. "This is an exit process that needs to be looked at. The figures show that only 16% of the public in a RED C poll felt the State should be funding this industry. The tracks have lost €30 million since 2019. Attendance fell by 55% between 2008 and 2018 - that's previous to Covid. And, of course, the state has been supplementing the employment, I am sure, through schemes like PUP. So who is the State funding and supporting? Ultimately, through this, we are funding the gambling industry. We have heard the figures on problem gambling of 40,000. And just for perspective, Flutter Entertainment, of which Paddy Power is part, trebled their profits in the first six months of this year. They don't need our support on prize money."

Thanks to Senator Higgins for being one of only five Senators who voted against the latest cash injection into horse and greyhound racing - €70.4 million for horse racing and €17.6 million for greyhound racing, bringing to more than €1.5 Billion the amount doled out since 2001. The funding was shamefully approved by Senators from Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party and Labour Party - see full list below.

Watch Senator Higgins' full speech at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hxbH8CG1sY&t=1995s

Watch the full debate at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hxbH8CG1sY

Read a transcript of the debate at
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/2021-12-08/24/

How the Senators voted

Voted in favour of the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2021 (which grant €88 million of taxpayers' money to the two gambling activities)
(Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Green Party, Labour)

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail)
Niall Blaney (Fianna Fail)
Victor Boyhan (Independent)
Paddy Burke (Fine Gael)
Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael)
Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
Pat Casey (Fianna Fail)
Shane Cassells (Fianna Fail)
Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail)
Martin Conway (Fine Gael)
Ollie Crowe (Fianna Fail)
John Cummins (Fine Gael)
Emer Currie (Fine Gael)
Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
Aidan Davitt (Fianna Fail)
Regina Doherty (Fine Gael)
Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)
Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail)
Róisín Garvey (Green Party)
Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
Sean Kyne (Fine Gael)
Tim Lombard (Fine Gael)
John McGahon (Fine Gael)
Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail)
Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)
Pauline O'Reilly (Green Party)
Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)
Mark Wall (Labour Party)
Barry Ward (Fine Gael)
Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

Thank you to these Senators who voted against the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2021

Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein)
Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent)
Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein)
Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein)

Watch RTE’s award-winning "Greyhounds Running For Their Lives" documentary at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM