Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 December 2020
491. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of active racing greyhounds exported in the past five years and to date in 2020; and the number of retired racing greyhounds exported in the past five years and to date in 2020. [42752/20]
View answerRásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ) 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. RCÉ is a body corporate and a separate legal entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The EU wide Trade Control and Export System (TRACES) records dogs being exported under the classification of ‘canines’. Consequently it is not possible to determine the number of greyhounds that have been exported. The Greyhound Racing Act 2019 provides for the introduction of a traceability system for racing greyhounds. RCÉ tendered for a system in early 2020 and has been working with the appointed contractor over recent months. It is expected that the traceability system will be operational before year end. The systems will, as data is generated, provide details of racing greyhounds being exported
RCÉ has provided information regarding the international rehoming of racing greyhounds over the period 2016 – 2020 (to date) as set out below
|
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
|
422 |
429 |
372 |
351 |
529 |
Rehoming of racing greyhounds on an international basis may also take place outside of the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust (IRGT) supported schemes. Private greyhound rehoming organisations and private rehomings are not accounted for through the activities of the IRGT.
