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Despite knowing about all the cruelty and killing in greyhound racing, Virgin Media is to again give coverage to the activity this month and next.
Virgin Media disregarded appeals over the past two years to show compassion and reject dog racing.
A notice on the Greyhound Racing Ireland website this week confirms Virgin Media's shameful involvement - "Coverage of the BoyleSports Irish Greyhound Derby at Shelbourne Park in Dublin...will be broadcast live on Virgin Media Three and will once again be hosted by Ivan Yates."
A GRI spokesperson was quoted as saying: "We are all delighted to welcome Virgin Media Television back to Shelbourne Park."
A report in the Business Post last month outlined that “Virgin Media, thanks to a favourable offer from [Greyhound Racing Ireland], opted to show greyhound racing last year after RTÉ abandoned its derby coverage. Virgin was criticised on social media but was understood to be delighted with the deal and has committed again in 2023.”
Virgin televised two race meetings last September in exchange for a €40,000 payment from Greyhound Racing Ireland. This followed a decision by RTE to drop greyhound racing, further to horrific revelations of animal cruelty in its award-winning Greyhounds Running for Their Lives documentary.
Shame on Virgin Media for providing a platform to an activity that is responsible for the deaths of thousands of dogs each year.
In an appeal to Virgin to reject greyhound racing, the Irish Council Against Blood Sport stated: “Virgin Media should NOT be promoting this cruel, dog-killing activity – the public wants to see greyhound racing ended and not given a platform on national television.”
We pointed to the “Greyhounds Running for Their Lives” documentary which exposed the horrors of greyhound racing, including the behind-the-scenes killing every year of an estimated 6,000 greyhounds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
We highlighted that there is growing public opposition to greyhound racing and plummeting attendance at races.
“Greyhounds suffer and die at tracks and Shelbourne Park is one of the worst,” we stated.
At least 278 greyhounds suffered injuries there and 73 died or were killed by a track vet over the past eight years alone, sickening Greyhound Racing Ireland statistics show. Among the victims are a greyhound who died at the track in September 2021 (on the evening of the BoyleSports Irish Derby) after suffering a ‘severe fracture of the neck’, another who collapsed and died in December 2020 with a ‘haemorrhage into the abdomen from a rupture of the aorta’, a greyhound who died of a heart attack after a race and another who was carried away bleeding with a leg bone popped out.
The injuries and deaths have continued in 2023. In the first four months of this year, Shelbourne Park was the worst track for injuries/deaths. 12 greyhounds suffered injuries and 7 of them lost their lives (six were killed by a track vet and there was one additional “racing fatality”).
They were among 81 greyhounds injured and 44 killed in racing between January and April. These latest figures bring to 3,131 the number of greyhounds known to have been injured and 1,104 the number killed in racing at Irish tracks since 2014.
Responding to concerns expressed last year, Virgin Media TV Managing Director Paul Farrell commented: “Virgin Media Television is a commercial broadcaster, and we rely totally on commercial revenues to support our business and our employees, as such we do not see it as our role to pre-judge or limit the range and choice of content we provide across our channels.”
The track death figures brought to Virgin Media's attention represent only the tip of the iceberg. A damning report which Greyhound Racing Ireland attempted to hide, revealed that around 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year because they don’t make the grade. The report estimated that, for example, a total of 17,962 greyhounds were culled in 2013, 2014 and 2015. They were killed for “failure to produce qualifying times”, “failure to produce desired entry level times” and for an “unacceptable decline in performance”.
The suffering and death continues thanks to massive financial support from the government. As mentioned in the Business Post article, “without state aid, the sport would collapse”.
Since 2001, over €328 million of taxpayers' money has disgracefully 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.
A RED C opinion poll commissioned by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports confirms that a two-thirds majority of people want the government to stop this funding (with just 16% in favour of it continuing). Petitions urging the government to end the funding have more than 400,000 signatures.
ACTION ALERT
Boycott companies which advertise during Virgin Media's coverage of greyhound racing.
Join us in urging Virgin Media to show compassion and stop televising greyhound racing.
Paul Farrell
Managing Director, Virgin Media Television
Tony Hanway
CEO, Virgin Media Ireland
Email: paul.farrell@virginmedia.ie; Tony.Hanway@virginmedia.ie; vmtvinfo@virginmedia.ie; vmtvcomplaints@virginmedia.ie
Telephone Virgin Media: +353 (0)1 245 8000
Tweet to: @VirginMediaIE @VMSportIE
Find out more about greyhound injuries and deaths at races
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2019/03/27/greyhound-injuries-and-deaths-at-irish-greyhound-tracks/
Please join us in telling the government to STOP the massive grants that are propping up this cruel, dog-killing gambling activity. Since 2001, Greyhound Racing Ireland has received €328 million in funding, including €19.2 million for 2021, €17.6 million for 2022 and €18.2 million for 2023. This is unacceptable and must be stopped.
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
Appeal to 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
Stop supporting the cruel greyhound “industry”
https://www.change.org/p/stop-supporting-the-cruel-greyhound-industry
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
SEE ALSO
Virgin Media got €40,000 for televising greyhound racing
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2023/03/05/virgin-media-got-e40000-for-televising-greyhound-racing/
Owner of greyhound in Virgin Media broadcast was previously fined €5,500
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2022/09/26/owner-of-greyhound-in-virgin-media-broadcast-was-previously-fined-e5500/
Virgin Media urged to scrap plan to televise greyhound racing
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2022/08/12/virgin-media-urged-to-scrap-plan-to-televise-greyhound-racing/