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FBD has clarified that its policy of not supporting greyhound racing remains unchanged.
The insurance company was contacted by the Irish Council Against Blood Sports after we noted that the title of a race at Clonmel track on 18 August 2023 was "The FBD Insurance Novice 525".
Responding to an email to FBD CEO Tomás Ó Midheach, the company stated that "FBD’s support of the event in question was an error locally".
We understand that FBD's Clonmel branch had agreed to support a fundraising event organised by a local camogie club but at the time, the nature of the fundraiser was not discussed. This was described by the company as "an oversight on FBD’s part".
"There has been no change to our existing policy and appropriate action has been taken to ensure adherence to this policy," the company stressed.
A big “thank you” to FBD for confirming that its stance on greyhound racing remains the same.
In 2019, the company announced that it was ending sponsorship of greyhound racing, following RTE's "Greyhounds Running For Their Lives". The award-winning documentary revealed that around 6,000 greyhounds are mercilessly killed behind the scenes every year because they are not fast enough to win races. Shocking footage featured in the programme showed greyhounds being shot in the head and dumped into a skip. Knackeries contacted by the programme makers stated that they killed greyhounds for as little as €10 each and accepted them in groups.
At the time, FBD stated: "Our only sponsorship of greyhound racing was a small sponsorship arrangement with Kilkenny Greyhound Stadium. Following the recent RTÉ Investigates programme, FBD has decided not to renew this."
Greyhound racing is fundamentally cruel, based as it is on massively over-breeding dogs, keeping the quickest and getting rid of many of the rest.
Greyhounds are not only being killed behind the scenes but also at tracks around the country.
At races around Ireland in the past nine years, at least 3,050 greyhounds suffered injuries and 1,060 died or were killed. Among the victims were a greyhound who collapsed after a race and died of a heart attack, a greyhound who was carried away bleeding with a leg bone “popped out”, a greyhound who collapsed and died with a “haemorrhage into the abdomen from a rupture of the aorta”, a greyhound who “collided with a boundary wall and died on impact”, a greyhound with a severed spine and greyhounds who suffered broken necks and died.
Since 2015 at Clonmel track, 130 greyhounds have suffered injuries and 45 died or were killed by a track vet. One of those who died was a greyhound who was knocked over in a race and suffered a fatal spinal injury and another who experienced a heart attack and died during a race.
FBD is among a large list of businesses which have stopped sponsoring greyhound racing in Ireland or disassociated from the activity. These include Air France (which removed Irish greyhound racing from 44 of its international websites), Toyota Ireland, Opel Ireland, Heineken Ireland/Murphy’s, Dublin Bus, Eir Sport, Tesco Ireland, Electric Ireland, Applegreen, Barry’s Tea, Hyde Irish Whiskey, Permanent TSB, Maldron Hotels, Clayton Hotels, Hertz, Expedia, Galway Crystal, Botanica International, Voucher Cloud, North Star Hotel Dublin, Metropole Hotel Cork, Treacy’s Hotel Waterford, The Mayson Hotel, Trip Indicator, Food For Thought (the official publication of the Restaurants Association of Ireland), DishCult, MummyPages.ie, Ireland Before You Die, Dublin Convention Bureau, In Your Pocket City Guides, Thomas Cook, etc.
Find out more about FBD and its home, travel and car insurance at https://www.fbd.ie/
ACTION ALERT
Don’t attend greyhound races or fundraisers/hen parties/office parties or other events held at greyhound tracks.
Greyhound Racing Ireland has received more than €328 million in government funding since 2001, including €19.2 million for 2021, €17.6 million for 2022 and €18.2 million for 2023. Without this funding, greyhound racing would collapse. Join us in demanding an end to the massive grants. Contact the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Finance Minister now.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD
Telephone: +353 (0)1-704 3630 OR +353 (0)1-640 3133
Email: leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Tweet to: http://www.twitter.com/@LeoVaradkar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeoVaradkar
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
Michael McGrath TD
Minister for Finance
Email: michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; minister@per.gov.ie
http://www.facebook.com/michael.mcgrath.1614
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mmcgrathtd
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
Watch RTE’s award-winning “Greyhounds Running For Their Lives” documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM