Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 March 2019
89. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if progress been made by the Irish Greyhound Board towards creating a separate body for the registration of racing greyhounds in order that owners of greyhounds interested in track racing only will no longer have to register with the governing body for hare coursing. [13950/19]
View answerBord na gCon is a commercial state body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958 chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry. Bord na gCon is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The Irish Coursing Club (ICC) is the competent authority with regard to the maintenance of the Irish Greyhound Stud Book. The ICC is 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.
It is important to note that it is not a condition of registering a greyhound in the Irish Greyhound Stud Book that an owner participate in coursing or express an interest in coursing.
The Greyhound Racing Bill (which is currently before the Dáil) includes enabling powers to allow the board to make regulations to require the registration of greyhound owners, the registration of racing greyhounds and the notification by owners, breeders and trainers of greyhounds of many more life events than those currently captured on existing studbook and micro-chipping databases. The regulations will support the Board in its ambition to establish and maintain a new comprehensive tracing database for racing greyhounds.
