Under the provisions of the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 the regulation of coursing is chiefly a matter for the Irish Coursing Club (ICC) subject to the general control and direction of Bord na gCon, which is the statutory body with responsibility for the improvement and development of the greyhound industry, greyhound racing and coursing. The ICC have informed my Department that testing to detect the presence of prohibited substances took place at the National Meeting and the Irish Cup meeting during the 2013/2014 season. The ICC introduced new arrangements for the testing of coursing greyhounds for prohibited substances in the 2012/3 coursing season. There were no positive results in the 2012/3 season. 6 positive results were reported from the 2014 National Meeting which are now being processed by the ICC in accordance with the rules governing such matters. The ICC has convened an Independent Committee to adjudicate on the positive test results and it shall consider these cases before the end of this month.
My Department has been informed by the ICC that it has set up a review committee to examine its testing regime for prohibited substances in coursing greyhounds which will report back to the Executive Committee of the ICC. The Executive Committee will in turn decide on any changes that may be required after considering the findings of the review. It is my view that the use of prohibited substances in coursing is totally unacceptable and I strongly believe that the industry must adhere to the highest standards of integrity in order to safeguard its future.
