There are renewed calls on Glanbia - the business behind Avonmore, Kilmeaden, Slimfast and Optimum Nutrition - to disassociate from cruel, dog-killing greyhound racing.
Banners advertising Glanbia’s GAIN pet nutrition brand remain on prominent display at tracks around the country, despite revelations about cruelty and killing in greyhound racing.
The GAIN banners can be seen at Curraheen Park, Limerick, Kilkenny Mullingar, Newbridge, Tralee, Shelbourne Park, Waterford and Youghal tracks.
“It is incredible that, given all the appalling revelations about cruelty and killing in greyhound racing, your company is content to have your brand associated with this nasty activity,” ICABS stated in an email to Glanbia this week.
We reminded the company about last year’s award-winning RTE documentary, "Greyhounds Running For Their Lives" which revealed that around 6,000 greyhounds are culled here every year simply because they are not fast enough to win races. It included horrifying scenes of dogs being delivered to a knackery where they were shot in the head and dumped in a skip. One dog was seen writhing on the ground in agony as his merciless owner drove away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM
RTE’s documentary shocked and disgusted the nation and prompted multiple protests outside tracks and calls for a ban on greyhound racing.
The shocking details about dogs being shot, mutilated, doped and dumped didn’t deter Glanbia. The following month, its support for greyhound racing continued. The company’s GAIN brand was attached to all 10 races at Galway stadium on 31st July, with prize money of over €14,000 on offer.
The company has continued to associate with greyhound racing, even after a dog running in one of the races that night tested positive for a prohibited substance.
A Greyhound Racing Ireland report revealed that prohibited substance Naproxen was detected in greyhound Grahams Star who finished last in the “GAIN INTERTRACK CHALLENGE ROUND 6” race at Galway Stadium on 31st July https://www.igb.ie/globalassets/rescource-centre/adverse-analytical-findings/adverse-analytical-findings-august-2019.pdf
ACTION ALERT
Contact GAIN’s parent company, Glanbia and ask it to permanently end all support/sponsorship of greyhound racing.
Jim Bergin
CEO, Glanbia
Glanbia House,
Kilkenny, Ireland
Telephone: +353 (0)56-777 2200 or 1890 321 321
Email: corporatecomms@glanbia.com; info@gainanimalnutrition.com
Tweet to: @GlanbiaPlc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GAINpetnutrition/
Siobhan Talbot
Glanbia Group Managing Director
STalbot@glanbia.ie
A petition calling on Glanbia's "Gain Pet Nutrition" company to stop sponsoring greyhound racing has been signed by more than 7,000 people.
The petition which urges the public to choose a different brand of pet food states: "GAIN NUTRITION currently sponsor multiple greyhound racing tracks in Ireland. As seen recently in the RTE documentary RTE Investigates: Greyhounds, Running for their Lives, nearly 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year in Ireland because they're not fast enough to earn money for greyhound owners who prioritise lining their own pockets over the welfare of this beautiful species. Some of these greyhounds are killed in hell-like knackeries for between €10-€30 per dog. Others are being doped with illegal substances while most live lives of intolerable cruelty. Please sign this petition asking GAIN NUTRITION to stop sponsoring this horrendous act of barbarism. Until then, I will be asking all Gain food users to switch their food to a more ethical source."
Sign the petition now at
https://www.change.org/p/jimtracy-glanbia-ie-tell-gain-pet-nutrition-to-stop-sponsoring-greyhound-racing