Fine Gael TD Grace Boland is the latest politician to join calls for an end to surgical artificial insemination.

In an 8 September 2025 Dail Question, Deputy Boland (Dublin Fingal West) asked the Minister for Agriculture “if he is planning on regulating canine fertility clinics and ban surgical insemination as recommended by the Joint Oireachtas Committee” https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2025-09-08a.5187

Surgical insemination involves anaesthetising a female dog, making an incision in her abdomen and lifting out her uterus before semen is injected into it with a needle. The uterus is then put back and the surgery area stitched closed. Surgical AI on dogs is already against the law in the UK, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.

It has been shamefully performed hundreds of times on greyhounds in Ireland since 2019 alone – a reminder that the pursuit of prize-money comes before the welfare of dogs. Not even cutting into the bodies of greyhounds in a bid to produce winning litters is off-limits in the cruel greyhound "industry".

Responding to the Dail Question, Minister Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) stated: “Regarding the ban on surgical insemination, the Veterinary Council of Ireland announced in April 2024 that it had updated its Code of Professional Conduct for Veterinary Practitioners to prohibit veterinarians from carrying out surgical artificial insemination in dogs due to ethical and welfare considerations. However, this new prohibition does not apply to greyhounds, as the practice is provided for in legislation under the Artificial Insemination of Greyhound Regulations 2005. The report of the Working Group on Control of Dogs, which was approved by Cabinet in March 2023 includes a recommendation that surgical artificial insemination in canines be prohibited, where the word canine encompasses all breeds of dogs, including greyhounds.”

“In 2024, my Department held a public consultation on whether the practice of carrying out surgical artificial insemination in greyhounds should be banned or not and the results of the public consultation will be published in due course,” he added. “My Department is closely examining this issue and will be providing advice on an appropriate course of action in the near future.”

It is already known that the results of the Department of Agriculture public consultation on surgical artificial insemination "indicate surgical AI should be prohibited in all dogs, INCLUDING GREYHOUNDS". The revelation was contained in the minutes of a meeting of the Advisory Council on Companion Animal Welfare that took place in September 2024.

In July, Sinn Fein Senator Chris Andrews condemned surgical artificial insemination as "a barbaric practice in which a dog is sliced open, artificially impregnated and then sewn back up again"

“[It puts] greed and profit above decency and well-being of dogs,” he stated in a video published on Instagram. "This inhumane procedure has been banned in many countries and yet our government is dragging its feet. And despite carrying out a consultation, Ministers are still refusing to commit to a ban. We need to change this." https://youtube.com/shorts/ioqE1NMJLWY

Speaking in Dail Eireann on 15 July 2025, Sinn Fein TD Dessie Ellis described surgical artificial insemination as a “barbaric and invasive procedure used on greyhounds” which “must be banned”.

“This highly controversial procedure, is already banned in the UK, and involves making a cut in the abdomen of a greyhound and inserting semen directly into the uterus,” Deputy Ellis stated. “The process must be distressful for the dog as it is anaesthetising the female greyhound and making a small incision in her abdomen in order to lift the uterus out. The semen is then injected directly into the uterus using a fine needle. The uterus is then placed back into the body of the greyhound and the wound is stitched up. The procedure also involves injecting semen extracted from deceased dogs.”

He cited disturbing figures from 2023 which show that in the previous ten years, almost 5,000 greyhound litters were born in Ireland following surgical artificial insemination. In the past four years alone, more than 500 surgical artificial inseminations were performed on greyhounds used in racing and hare coursing.

Previously, in February 2022 Eoin Ó Broin TD asked the Minister for Agriculture “if he will consider banning the surgical artificial insemination of greyhounds and other canines due to the growing body of veterinarian medical evidence regarding animal welfare issues from surgical artificial insemination of canines and in view that Britain has outlawed the practice.”

The government must ban surgical artificial insemination of all dogs, including greyhounds.

ACTION ALERT

Get in touch with Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon to demand an urgent ban on surgical artificial insemination.

Martin Heydon TD
Minister for Agriculture
Tel: 01-618 3017
Email: minister@agriculture.gov.ie; martin.heydon@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/martinheydonfg
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/martinheydonfg

Don’t go greyhound racing or attend events at greyhound tracks.

Urge the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein to end the state funding that is keeping the dying greyhound “industry” afloat.

Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Tel: 01 619 4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
X: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD

Simon Harris TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01 281 3727
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris

Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
X: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD

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

SEE ALSO

Why Ireland Must Ban Surgical Artificial Insemination
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2025/07/01/why-ireland-must-ban-surgical-artificial-insemination/

Senator Chris Andrews renews call for ban on surgical AI of greyhounds
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2025/06/23/senator-chris-andrews-renews-call-for-ban-on-surgical-ai-of-greyhounds/

Surgical artificial insemination is a “barbaric and invasive procedure used on greyhounds”
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2025/07/16/surgical-artificial-insemination-is-a-barbaric-and-invasive-procedure-used-on-greyhounds/

Vets MUST NOT perform painful surgical artificial insemination on (most) dogs
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2024/05/15/vets-must-not-perform-painful-surgical-artificial-insemination-on-most-dogs/

Surgical artificial insemination is a “barbaric and invasive procedure used on greyhounds”
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2025/07/16/surgical-artificial-insemination-is-a-barbaric-and-invasive-procedure-used-on-greyhounds/

Pete the Vet: Greyhounds must not be excluded from surgical AI ban
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2023/05/12/pete-the-vet-greyhounds-must-not-be-excluded-from-surgical-ai-ban/

Ban on surgical AI in dogs ‘will be implemented’
https://banbloodsports.wordpress.com/2023/04/14/ban-on-surgical-ai-in-dogs-will-be-implemented/

Veterinary Council of Ireland Public Consultation – Canine Surgical Artificial Insemination Outcome
https://vci.ie/Utility/News/2024/Veterinary-Council-of-Ireland-Public-Consultation