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Greyhound Racing Ireland has ploughed more than three quarters of a million euros into a greyhound track in Cork where average race attendance is just 18 people.
The outrageous injection of cash into Youghal stadium came to light further to a Dail Question from Neasa Hourigan TD.
Deputy Hourigan asked Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue about GRI's “expenditure on Youghal greyhound stadium in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The figures supplied by Greyhound Racing Ireland show that it pumped €763,903 into the unpopular, loss-making track in the past three years.
This includes €241,792 in 2020, €284,133 in 2021 and €237,978 last year.
The money has continued to be channelled into Youghal track despite a clear recommendation in a Greyhound Racing Ireland-commissioned report that the track be permanently shut down.
The 2019 Indecon report stated: “The [Greyhound Racing Ireland] owned Youghal stadium has by far the lowest attendance levels of any stadia in the region. The infrastructure is poor and the stadia is loss making and the stadia has a higher level of net contribution from IGB per attendee of any stadia in the region and there is a relatively small percentage of trainers/breeders who use the track. We therefore recommend closure of Youghal stadium. In the case of Youghal, in addition to savings in prize money, this will result in savings in future operating losses and in the required investment in capital improvements. These funds should be used to reduce overall losses and to invest in animal welfare, marketing and capital improvements in other stadia.”
It also noted that “attendance is an important measure of demand for the facilities and is of critical importance in influencing the commercial sustainability of stadia” and that the “greyhound industry is likely to experience a continued decline in attendance levels”.
Youghal track was due to be permanently shut down in April of this year but after lobbying by local Fianna Fail TD James O'Connor, it remains open.
The Irish Examiner has reported that “confusion surrounds the length of a new deal signed to keep Youghal greyhound stadium open, after fears the venue was due to close its doors for good last week. The stadium was on the verge of shutting down...only for a deal to be agreed on March 31, a day prior to the lease’s expiry. Details of the length of the new deal are being kept a closely-guarded secret.”
The report added: “Political pressure had come to bear in the background, with local Fianna Fáil TD James O’Connor, whose family has a historical association with the track, telling the Dáil last week that the Department of Agriculture and the local track supporters’ club had been “working diligently... to try to keep the stadium going”. https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41109355.html
A previous Irish Examiner report in January quoted Labour Party TD Seán Sherlock – who also pushed for the track to remain open - as saying that “sources very close to Greyhound Racing Ireland” had informed him that “a decision to close the track has been made”.
In the Dail in March, James O'Connor TD outrageously claimed that the County Cork track – which was on average 93% empy at races in 2022 - is “of huge importance to the local community”, with Minister McConalogue pledging to him that he would work to ensure that the track stays open. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPmdT-LOdeo
Far from the claims of Deputy O'Connor, Youghal track has largely been rejected by locals.
Last year, it had the lowest average race attendance out of Greyhound Racing Ireland's tracks. Figures released by Greyhound Racing Ireland show that there were 9,483 “attendances” at Youghal track last year. However, this figure ridiculously includes entries by greyhound owners/trainers (7,252) and bookmakers (549). Excluding these, the actual attendance for the whole year stood at a paltry 1,682. With 96 meetings in 2022, the average attendance was a mere 18 per meeting.
Greyhound Racing Ireland’s inclusion of greyhound owners/trainers and bookmakers in its “attendance” figures is an attempt to mislead and convey a level of public support for greyhound racing which does not exist.
There are growing calls for Youghal track to be shut down following revelations that it was the worst track in the country in 2022 for greyhound deaths - 36 greyhounds suffered injuries and 16 of them were killed by a track vet. It was the highest number of injuries and deaths at the track since records began.
The 16 greyhounds who were killed had suffered hock injury/fracture (10), leg fracture (2), wrist fracture/injury (2), spinal injury (1) and ruptured tendon (1). The deaths included the killing of three greyhounds at a single meeting on 7th November 2022, two greyhounds at a meeting on 30th May and another two at a meeting on 17th August.
Greyhounds were also killed at trial events held at Youghal track - two greyhounds sustained hock injuries and were destroyed on 12 January and 26 March 2022.
Sickening Greyhound Racing Ireland statistics show that since 2015 alone, 109 greyhounds have suffered injuries at Youghal track and 51 died or were killed by a track vet.
In a letter to Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue and Tanaiste Micheal Martin, ICABS highlighted the suffering and death in greyhound racing and drew their attention to a RED C poll which found that a two-thirds majority want the government to stop squandering millions of euros of taxpayers’ money on this cruel, dog-killing gambling activity.
Since 2001, over €309 million in funding has shamefully been handed over to Greyhound Racing Ireland, including €19.2 million for 2021, €17.6 million for 2022 and €18.2 million for 2023. It’s time for politicians to stop the funding and allow unpopular greyhound racing to die a death.
ACTION ALERT
Contact Tanaiste Micheal Martin and Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and tell them that you want Youghal track, and all greyhound tracks, to be permanently shut down.
Tanaiste Micheál Martin TD
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
Charlie McConalogue
Minister for Agriculture
Tel: 01 618 3199 or 01 607 2000
Email: minister@agriculture.gov.ie; charlie.mcconalogue@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CharlieMcConalogue
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@McConalogue
Don’t go greyhound racing or attend events at greyhound tracks. Please join us in urging the government to end the state funding that is keeping the dying greyhound “industry” afloat.
Please contact your local TDs and urge them to oppose this funding. Visit the Oireachtas website for contact details for TDs https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/tds/?term=/ie/oireachtas/house/dail/33
Urge the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour to stop the funding and back a ban on cruel greyhound racing
Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: 021-432 0088
Leinster House: 01–618 3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD
Leo Varadkar TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01-619 4020
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
Eamon Ryan TD
Leader, Green Party
Tel: 01 618 3894
Email: eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EamonRyanGP/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EamonRyan
Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD
Ivana Bacik TD
Leader, The Labour Party
Tel: (01) 6183136
Email: ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ivanabacik
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bacikivana/
Please sign and share the petitions
GAA: Stop club fundraisers at greyhound tracks
https://www.change.org/p/gaa-stop-club-fundraisers-at-greyhound-tracks
Tell Gain Pet Nutrition to Stop Sponsoring Greyhound Racing
https://www.change.org/p/jimtracy-glanbia-ie-tell-gain-pet-nutrition-to-stop-sponsoring-greyhound-racing
Watch RTE’s award-winning “Greyhounds Running For Their Lives” documentary
https://youtu.be/ZYTb2qBjlMM