Monday 30 December 2013

That Was Irish Greyhound Racing 2013



Not a quiet year for the Greyhounds...in the shadow of the bright lights.....deaths.....debts....drugs..
..blatant arrogance...Welfare failures........yet again.

2013 started under that shadow with the 'almost unchanged' €11 million Government support for the debt-burdened Irish Greyhound Industry, from the allocated €55.02 million for the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund.

It was not long into 2013 when the Directors of the troubled Limerick Greyhound Stadium resigned their positions, seemingly tired of being 'undermined by the parent company Bord na gCon(Irish Greyhound Board)' - still under the shadow of a 'delay in the publishing of the annual report and accounts for 2011' which called for a review later in 2013.
The criticisms in the Public Accounts Committee review came amongst articles of concern in regards to Bord na gCon, such as: expenses and meetings with Ministers and Chair appointments(appointment concerns were raised earlier in the year).....
All of which must have just been too much for Bord na gCon CEO, Adrian Neilan, who'quit' but this would not delay the 'dissatisfied' Public Accounts Committee requiring answers to the 'questions[that]are mounting'.

Public Accounts Committee & Bord na gCon



We waited on for Welfare issues to be taken seriously by the Bord na gCon and relative authorities - especially for justice under the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 for the Limerick Greyhounds found shot and dumped in April of 2012.
In April of 2013 the prosecution for the Limerick Greyhounds would show no real regard for the Welfare of Greyhounds despite Barry Coleman, Welfare Manager of Bord na gCon, welcoming it as a 'successful prosecution'. The shooting of Greyhounds only resulted in a combined fine of €800 for John Corkery for the forging of a signature and a failure to notify any transfer of ownership. John Corkery refused to give details of who had shot his Greyhounds, seeing nothing wrong with shooting a dog in the head. This, sadly, against the hugely supported petition to the Director of Public Prosecutions showing the public concern.


John Corkery Report 25th April 2013



Just a few weeks later came news of yet another find of Greyhound bodies, the second time the landowner had such a grim find on his farmland. In a reply to the concerns of Greyhound Safe Ireland, Barry Coleman closed the matter after the Bord's Stipendairy Steward found it 'impossible to say if[the remains of one animal]was a Greyhound or not'.
A further hearing was to come in July in regards to the Limerick Greyhounds, only to result in any charges being dropped.

Welfare concerns carry on daily for the thousands of Greyhounds bred to be used in Ireland, despite the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 written to give protections to Greyhounds kept, traded, transported, bred, reared, trained, raced, or coursed.
Homing Greyhounds in Ireland continues to be a massive educational process, and has been hugely helped with such groups Greyhound Rescue Association of Ireland and Greyhound Safe Ireland who give their personal time in lobbying factually and responsibly, promoting/educating that Greyhounds make wonderful companion animals, and the many combined efforts that rehoming takes - sadly the Bord na gCon still need to work hard on, as they said in 2011, 'changing perceptions' but still their website showcases, and updates rarely, too few Greyhounds looking for homes from the thousands bred and discarded.
The majority of Greyhounds in Ireland will never see a life after the track(if they at all even get there)....the sadly-named 'lucky ones' will be picked up after being abandoned, sometimes in horrific conditions, when they will be cared for and nursed ready to find a home.......many will simply be dumped at Pounds, where the chance of being euthanised is high.

Injuries are always a high risk to Greyhounds racing or training, but as was seen in Septembers Enterprise Targeted Solutions Derby Final(race 9) some injuries mean nothing to such race events, keenly anticipated by the racing community. Greyhounds will be euthanised at the track because of the many, slight or serious, injuries they obtain while racing - sadly they can even be simply forgot.

In 2013 such Welfare atrocities were raised in the European Parliament and America.
In a combined campaign for Greyhounds across Europe there was a huge and constructive response from the Irish MEP's - relationships formed that can have a working future for Irish Greyhounds.
Limerick Animal Welfare Veterinary Nurse highlighted, and raised, Irish Greyhound Welfare issues in her speech at the International Greyhound Update,  organised by Greyhound Friends and American-European Greyhound Alliance.

After the public outcry in 2011 to plans by the Bord na gCon to export Greyhounds to China, international pressure continued to when in 2012 the Irish Government denied the Bord any plans of Greyhound racing in China on welfare grounds. In late 2013 the alarming news came that Irish Greyhounds were again being sold to Spain. Since investigations in 2005 sales of Irish Greyhounds to Spain, and despite Barry Coleman not showing concerns of the overwhelming problems that already exist in Spain(with many animals)but in particular to the plight of the Galgo, welfare is still low on the agenda. Please sign and share No Irish Greyhounds To Spain.

A few announcements by the Bord na gCon pop up now and again in reference to doping/sampling of Greyhounds, Sampling Procedures and ETS Derby Final and May's Regulatory Announcement for example.
Those announcements and concerns contrast greatly to the GBGB Disciplinary Hearings for positive samples or the results of prohibited substances in Australian Greyhound racing being readily available to the public. Such contrasts in regard to the Bord's grip on doping are even clearly of concern to the Irish Greyhound Owners and Breeders Federation. The shadow of 'high-profile' 2010 doping case followed the Bord na gCon through 2013. In June it seemed to close with a ruling that Greyhound Tullymurry Act was was drugged while in the care of the Bord na gCon leaving them to face a bill of €250k in costs, rising further to  €1.5m in October.
Meanwhile former Chairman of Bord na gCon, Paschal Taggert plans to rebuild Wimbledon Greyhound Stadium(UK) which will be of huge benefit to Irish Greyhound Racing
- but not of benefit to the industry tool: the Greyhound.

The Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund/gift from the Exchequer for 2014 has been set lower than 2013 at €54 million - of which the Bord na gCon receive 20%.

Please don't support the Irish Greyhound Industry/Hare Coursing in 2014
 - support instead the rescue/rehoming of Greyhounds - be involved...
....be a voice for the beautiful hound...