Simon Coveney is Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. He has jurisdiction over the Irish Greyhound Board, because Irish greyhounds are considered as livestock. Minister Coveney was asked about the recent resumption of the export of greyhounds to China (where there are no animal welfare laws and where the annual Yulin dog torture festival takes place) he had this to say: that he is aware of the reports about conditions in Macau but that “once appropriate animal health and welfare certification requirements are met, dogs, including greyhounds, may be exported internationally, including to China”. Irish greyhounds suffer enough in Ireland. They are locked in tiny cages when not racing, they are often starved and routinely lack the company of other dogs and humans. As soon as they are no longer useful to their owner/trainer they are discarded. Those that underperform or sustain injuries are often put to death in inhumane and painful ways. Frequently, dogs are found dead or dying with their ears cut off to remove the microchip that identifies the owner. The list of abuses they face in Ireland is long. Then there is China, a country where animal torture seems to be acceptable. Dogs are eaten in China, but the way that they are transported and slaughtered make even our own slaughter houses seem tame. The annual dog and cat eating festival of Yulin shows dogs being restrained and blowtorched ALIVE before being cut up for meat. This is not an isolated incident but a routine way of mistreating dogs and cats before death. Worst of all, there is no law against this and it appears to be socially acceptable (though there is a growing animal welfare movement in China headed by compassionate people). Irish greyhounds suffer enough in Ireland at the hands of those who have no interest in the welfare of these dogs. The last thing Irish greyhounds need is to be sent to China, hell on Earth for any animal. Please email Minister Simon Coveney to ask him to do what is in his power to STOP THE EXPORT OF IRISH GREYHOUNDS TO CHINA. It's simply not enough to say that once guidelines/rules are followed, we can export greyhounds when he knows perfectly well there are none. Here's his email address simon.coveney@oir.ie. He is on twitter @SimonCoveney. Please, do this small thing to help Irish greyhounds who suffer enough without being sent to China.