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In the space of two days last week, the government took a somewhat contradictory approach to animal welfare in this country.
On the one hand, the Taoiseach pledged state support for the Dublin Zoo and Fota Wildlife Park, both of which are facing an urgent financial crisis due to Covid-19 restrictions.
At the same time, the Government was pushing a motion, without debate, to increase funding for an industry where serious animal welfare problems have been exposed and continue to be of concern.
In 2021, greyhound racing in Ireland will benefit a sum of € 19.2 million from the public purse, an increase of € 2.4 million. This despite a significant drop in the number of attendees at career meetings and declining advertising revenue.
Phenomenal financial support
The industry has received approximately € 280 million in taxpayer funding since 2000. As the turnover from racing activities has steadily declined over the last decade (€ 32.9 million in 2010 to € 22.7 million euros in 2017), state funding has increased from 11.9 million euros in 2010 to 16.8 million euros in 2020.
To put it bluntly, the greyhound industry has become a financial basket case and is kept alive by generous state grants each year. The Irish Greyhound Board / Greyhound Racing Ireland has not paid taxpayer dividends in the past 25 years, and is unlikely to do so in the future.
Attendance at greyhound racing meetings fell by 55% between 2008 and 2018 and the combined loss of tracks between 2019 and 2022 is projected to be € 30 million. A 2019 Red C poll found that only 16 per cent of the Irish population agree that the government should continue to fund the industry.
This is no surprise. In the same year, a heartbreaking program ‘RTÉ Investigates’ exposed the horrible treatment of greyhounds by some of those involved in the sport. This is an industry in which 16,000 greyhounds are raised each year, 1,000 percent more than necessary.
Of these, 6,000 are eliminated for bogus reasons, ranging from a decrease in performance to not being fast enough to compete on the track.
While it must be recognized that many breeders treat their dogs well, some of those who operate on the dark margins of the industry have carried out unspeakable cruelty to animals.
There have been cases where dogs had their ears cut off to prevent their registered owners from being traced; of the exported greyhounds that endure 15-hour trips to the UK in the most dire conditions; and flagrant violations of regulations by some unscrupulous slaughterhouse operators, with healthy dogs shot in the head and discarded for as little as € 20.
The dire general standards of care make it difficult to understand the rationale for continued state funding. By contributing millions of euros of public money to greyhound racing each year, the government is supporting an inherently cruel sport that the Irish public has been increasingly rejecting. It is inconceivable and cannot be allowed to continue.
An unwanted industry in 2020
It is true that improvements have been made in the funding of animal care related to the greyhound industry. However, this was only compromised after significant public pressure in the wake of the 2019 RTÉ investigation.
Tomorrow, the Social Democrats will present to the Dáil a motion of private deputies on this issue. We ask the Government to renounce the increase in funding of 2.4 million euros to be given to the greyhound industry.
Instead, it should gradually refocus funding for greyhound racing on the welfare of dogs affected by the industry. There are many cash-strapped animal welfare organizations dedicated to the care and rehoming of greyhounds that could benefit instead.
We also believe that the Government should work towards phasing out state support for Irish greyhound racing by 2025. This would allow a reasonable transition period for a dying industry that no longer enjoys significant public support.
In the midst of a pandemic, when there is no money available for things like shelter spaces for victims of domestic violence or support services for the disabled, the government not only continues to fund greyhound racing, but increases the level of funding for the sector .
Our motion seeks to demonstrate our clear commitment to animal welfare. The taxpayer should not be complicit in the government’s efforts to plug the cracks in a bankrupt industry where greyhounds are treated like cattle and cruelty is endemic.
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Holly Cairns is a Social Democratic MP from Cork South-West. She is the party spokesperson for agriculture, food and the sea.
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