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In a Budget 2025 submission, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports has urged Finance Minister Jack Chambers to Defund Greyhound Racing.
“We are calling on you and the government to recognise that greyhound racing is a cruel and dying ‘industry’ and to stop propping it up with millions of euros of Irish taxpayers’ money,” we stated.
In our 29-page submission we highlighted the cruelty and killing upon which greyhound racing is based, including the doping of greyhounds, the use of rabbits and kittens to illegally blood greyhounds and the annual killing of thousands of greyhounds who are not quick enough to win races.
We told Minister Chambers about the gruesome discovery of greyhound skulls and bones in a bog 2km from Newbridge greyhound track and about the ongoing export of greyhounds to hellholes abroad.
In relation to the rehoming of greyhounds, we pointed out that “Greyhound Racing Ireland is quick to quote rehoming stats but these only cover a fraction of the dogs exiting racing”. Brought to the Minister’s attention was the fact that “there are serious doubts about the accuracy of its rehoming figures, given revelations that some greyhounds listed as "rehomed" on the GRI website were, in reality, exported for use in racing and coursing in China and Pakistan, countries with little or no animal welfare legislation where horrific cruelty occurs.”
The Government has handed over more than €347 million (€347,166,146) to Greyhound Racing Ireland in the past two decades, including €17.6 million for 2022, €18.2 million for 2023 and €19 million for 2024. The funding has shamefully continued despite it being clear that public interest in greyhound racing has been significantly declining – reflected in plummeting attendances at tracks.
Greyhound Racing Ireland has attempted to hide the low level of public support for racing by presenting deceitful attendance statistics. These misleading figures have been used to try and justify the continuation of government grants by conveying a level of public interest which does not exist. GRI has been substantially boosting its “attendance” numbers by outrageously including greyhound owners, greyhound trainers and bookies who are involved in racing.
Minister Chambers was also told about a plan by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain to minimise imports of greyhounds from Ireland.
This shrinking of the UK market – the main export destination for Irish greyhounds – will exacerbate the effects of overbreeding and is likely to lead to the killing of even more greyhounds in Ireland and almost certainly an increase in the number of Irish greyhounds exported to China and Pakistan and also to Spain where greyhounds are hung from trees and flung down wells to die slow deaths.
Greyhound Racing Ireland presents employment as a reason for continued government funding. However, its employment figures are highly questionable. For example, estimated employment figures included in a GRI-commissioned economic report were supplied by Greyhound Racing Ireland itself.
It has claimed that the “industry” supports thousands of jobs but these are estimates and not factual figures. GRI’s job estimates in the past have been ridiculed as “almost laughable” and “more than questionable”.
Regardless of the numbers employed, it is unacceptable for the government to back jobs that are connected to an activity that causes so much suffering and death and which damages Ireland’s international reputation.
Redirecting the funding away from greyhound racing into sporting groups, health and homeless charities, animal rescues centres, environmental groups, music and drama projects could create a greater number of jobs, with the added benefit of enriching people’s lives, enhancing the health and wellbeing of participants and avoiding supporting a gambling sector at a time when Ireland is tackling a gambling addiction epidemic.
Another reason to stop the funding is greyhound racing’s close connection to cruel hare coursing.
“By propping up greyhound racing, the government is also sustaining hare coursing – a blood sport which 77% of Irish citizens want banned,” we outlined in our submission. “Registration fees for greyhounds used at tracks are paid to the Irish Coursing Club, an income stream that is helping to keep this shameful activity alive.”
In coursing, thousands of Irish Hares are snatched from the wild, held in captivity for weeks or months and used as live bait for greyhounds to chase. Every coursing season, hares are hit and pinned on coursing fields and suffer painful injuries and die. All the hares suffer the fear and stress of being manhandled, kept in unnatural captivity and forced to run for their lives.
The continuation of this bloodsport 24 years into the new millennium shames Ireland. It was outlawed in the UK in 2004 and a ban came into effect in Northern Ireland in 2010. It is banned in most countries around the world and Ireland is one of only three countries in the EU that continue to permit it.
A RED C opinion poll conducted in 2019 found that a two-thirds majority of Irish citizens want funding to greyhound racing scrapped, with just 16% in favour of it continuing. Petitions calling on the government to stop the funding have attracted more than 440,000 signatures.
“Please recognise the views of the majority who want the funding stopped and ensure that not a single cent is allocated to greyhound racing in Budget 2025,” we concluded in our appeal to Minister Chambers.
ACTION ALERT
Join us in urging Finance Minister Jack Chambers to defund greyhound racing.
Jack Chambers TD
Minister for Finance
Email: Minister@finance.gov.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jackchambersff/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jackfchambers
Please contact your local TDs and urge them to stop the 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
Taoiseach Simon Harris TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
Telephone: +353 (0)1 618 3805 or +353 (0)1 889 2442
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris
Tanaiste Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
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
Roderic O'Gorman TD
Leader, Green Party
Tel: (01) 6642052
Email: roderic.ogorman@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RodericOG/
X: https://x.com/rodericogorman
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/
“Stop state funding to cruel greyhound racing” – Email all Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Green Party, Sinn Fein and Labour Party TDs.
Fianna Fáil TDs
john.mcguinness@oireachtas.ie; niamh.smyth@oireachtas.ie; brendan.smith@oireachtas.ie; aindrias.moynihan@oireachtas.ie; michael.moynihan.td@oireachtas.ie; micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; Charlie.McConalogue@oireachtas.ie; sean.haughey@oireachtas.ie; jim.ocallaghan@oireachtas.ie; darragh.obrien@oireachtas.ie; jack@jackchambers.ie; anne.rabbitte@oireachtas.ie; eamon.ocuiv@oireachtas.ie; james.lawless@oireachtas.ie; sean.ofearghail@oireachtas.ie; sean.fleming@oireachtas.ie; barry.cowen@oireachtas.ie; willie.odea@oireachtas.ie; niall.collins@oireachtas.ie; Robert.Troy@oireachtas.ie; dara.calleary@oireachtas.ie; thomas.byrne@oireachtas.ie; marc.macsharry@oireachtas.ie; jackie.cahill@oireachtas.ie; mary.butler@oireachtas.ie; james.browne@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.murnaneoconnor@oireachtas.ie; cathal.crowe@oireachtas.ie; james.oconnor@oireachtas.ie; padraig.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; christopher.osullivan@oireachtas.ie; paul.mcauliffe@oireachtas.ie; john.lahart@oireachtas.ie; cormac@cormacdevlin.ie; normafoley1@eircom.net; joe.flaherty@oireachtas.ie; Stephen.Donnelly@oireachtas.ie
Fine Gael TDs
JohnPaul.Phelan@oireachtas.ie; Heather.Humphreys@oireachtas.ie; joe.carey@oireachtas.ie; david.stanton@oir.ie; colm.burke@oireachtas.ie; michael.creed@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Coveney@oireachtas.ie; joe.mchugh@oireachtas.ie; richard.bruton@oireachtas.ie; Paschal.Donohoe@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Farrell@oireachtas.ie; emer.higgins@oireachtas.ie; neale.richmond@oireachtas.ie; josepha.madigan@oireachtas.ie; colm.brophy@oireachtas.ie; leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie; jennifer.carrollmacneill@oireachtas.ie; Ciaran.Cannon@oireachtas.ie; hildegarde.naughton@oireachtas.ie; Brendan.Griffin@oireachtas.ie; bernard.durkan@oireachtas.ie; Martin.Heydon@oireachtas.ie; charles.flanagan@oireachtas.ie; kieran.odonnell@oireachtas.ie; Patrick.O’Donovan@oireachtas.ie; peter.burke@oireachtas.ie; fergus.odowd@oireachtas.ie; alan.dillon@oireachtas.ie; michael.ring@oireachtas.ie; helen.mcentee@oireachtas.ie; damien.english@oireachtas.ie; frank.feighan@oireachtas.ie; paul.kehoe@oireachtas.ie; Simon.Harris@oireachtas.ie
Green Party TDs
Eamon.Ryan@greenparty.ie;
catherine.martin@oireachtas.ie; patrick.costello@oireachtas.ie; francisnoel.duffy@oireachtas.ie; neasa.hourigan@oireachtas.ie; brian.leddin@oireachtas.ie; steven.matthews@oireachtas.ie; malcolm.noonan@oireachtas.ie; joe.obrien@oireachtas.ie; marc.ocathasaigh@oireachtas.ie; roderic.ogorman@oireachtas.ie;
ossian.smyth@oireachtas.ie
Sinn Fein TDs
john.brady@oireachtas.ie; pat.buckley@oireachtas.ie; Sean.Crowe@oireachtas.ie; david.cullinane@oireachtas.ie; Pearse.Doherty@oireachtas.ie; dessie.ellis@oir.ie; kathleen.funchion@oireachtas.ie; martinkennysf@gmail.com; MaryLou.McDonald@oireachtas.ie; denise.mitchell@oireachtas.ie; imelda.munster@oireachtas.ie; eoin.obroin@oireachtas.ie; donnchadh.olaoghaire@oireachtas.ie; aengus.osnodaigh@oireachtas.ie; louiseoreillysf@gmail.com; maurice.quinlivan@oireachtas.ie; Brian.Stanley@oireachtas.ie; mark.ward@oireachtas.ie; chris.andrews@oireachtas.ie; martin.browne@oireachtas.ie; matt.carthy@oireachtas.ie; sorca.clarke@oireachtas.ie; roseconwaywalsh@eircom.net; reada.cronin@oireachtas.ie; pa.daly@oireachtas.ie; paul.donnelly@oireachtas.ie; mairead.farrell@oireachtas.ie; thomas.gould@oireachtas.ie; johnny.guirke@oireachtas.ie; claire.kerrane@oireachtas.ie; padraig.maclochlainn@oir.ie; johnny.mythen@oireachtas.ie; ruairi.omurchu@oireachtas.ie; darren.orourke@oireachtas.ie; patriciaryan975@gmail.com; pauline.tully@oireachtas.ie
Labour Party TDs
ivana.bacik@oireachtas.ie; sean.sherlock@oireachtas.ie; aodhan.oriordain@oireachtas.ie; duncan.smith@oireachtas.ie; gerald.nash@oireachtas.ie; Alan.Kelly@oireachtas.ie; brendan.howlin@oireachtas.ie
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
Please support our campaign with a donation
https://www.paypal.me/banbloodsports