Midlands 103 is being urged to stop airing an advert for Mullingar Greyhound Stadium - one of the worst tracks in Ireland for injuries and deaths.

In an appeal to the radio station’s managing director, ICABS highlighted that 301 greyhounds have suffered injuries at Mullingar Stadium and 98 died or were killed by a track vet over the past seven years alone. These include 31 injuries and 20 deaths in 2021 - the highest number of deaths at the stadium since records began in 2014.

Among the injuries suffered by dogs at Mullingar Stadium are “severed spine” and fractured hock bones. In December 2019, a greyhound died at the end of a race after falling and suffering a broken neck. On 8th February 2021, a “greyhound collided with a boundary wall [and] died on impact” and on 19th April a greyhound “fell at 1st bend – died on impact with boundary fence”.

At tracks around Ireland since 2014, at least 2,763 greyhounds suffered injuries and 938 died or were killed. Many more are killed behind the scenes.

As revealed in the award-winning "RTE Investigates: Greyhounds Running For Their Lives" documentary - which featured disturbing footage from Mullingar track - around 6,000 dogs are killed in Ireland every year simply because they are not fast enough to win races. We were shown 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

The Irish public is shocked and disgusted at the revelations, which have sparked multiple protests outside tracks and calls for a ban on greyhound racing. Opinion polls show that a majority of citizens want the government to permanently end the state grants which are keeping greyhound racing and its associated animal cruelty afloat. Petitions urging the government to stop the funding now have over 400,000 signatures.

Meanwhile, Tourism bodies Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland have both stopped promoting greyhound racing due to fears it damages Ireland's international image.

ACTION ALERT

Urge Midlands 103 to stop airing the ad for Mullingar greyhound track

Will Faulkner
Managing Director
Midlands 103
Tindle House
Axis Business Park
Tullamore, Co Offaly
Tel: +353 57 9351333
Email: info@midlands103.com