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Greyhound Industry

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 December 2020

Tuesday, 15 December 2020

Questions (678)

Brian Leddin

Question:

678. Deputy Brian Leddin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of greyhounds that ceased racing in each of the years 2016 to 2020, in tabular form; the number of greyhounds rehomed by an organisation (details supplied) in this period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43381/20]

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Written answers

Rásaíocht 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. There is considerable fluidity in relation to greyhounds entered for racing on RCÉ’S Race Management System. For example, greyhounds may not participate in racing for a period due to injury or sickness such as kennel cough etc. The number of greyhounds re-homed are set out in the attached table.

In addition, there are a substantial number of racing greyhounds exported to the UK to participate in greyhound racing there. During 2019, for example, 6,005 Irish bred greyhounds were registered with the Greyhound Board of Great Britain.

In the absence of a detailed traceability system, it is not possible to identity the number of greyhounds that have ceased racing. Rehoming of greyhounds is undertaken on behalf of RCÉ through its entity, the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust.

Details of rehomings undertaken by the IRGT are set out in the table attached.

It should be noted that the rehoming information recorded by the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust does not include greyhound rehomings undertaken by private greyhound rehoming organisations who are not in receipt of financial or other assistance from the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust, or the greyhound rehomings carried out by individual members of the greyhound community where IRGT assistance was not sought. The Irish Retired Greyhound Trust is open to engagement with all organisations who are involved in rehoming registered greyhounds in Ireland.

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020 (to date)

Greyhounds rehomed through the IRGT rehoming scheme

517

548

529

530

728

Greyhounds rehomed by Private Irish Greyhound Rehoming Organisations which receive financial assistance from the IRGT

374

389

492

444

799

Total number of greyhounds reheomed

891

937

1021

974

1527

(Information received from Organisations to date in 2020)

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