IRGT/IGB Legislation Breach

Following the recent IGS article on the

  contradictions of the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust income, for 2014, 2015, and 2016,

  our research into the IRGT(registered as a Private Charitable Trust)2017
accounts threw up yet another contradiction

 - and a breach of the Charities Act 2009.

After the IGS publication of the IRGT Annual Reports - published by the Charities Regulator - and after the Charities Regulator renewed its website, the IRGT Annual Reports are now no longer made available to the public. The CR's Board Na gCon Retired Greyhound Trust page states that private charitable trust documents are not published.

IGS wrote to the CR to ask why this is now the case. They informed us, in their reply, that under section 54 of the Charities Act 2009 private charitable trusts are exempt from making their accounts available to the public.

 Under this Act a “private charitable trust”

 means a charitable trust that is not funded by donations from the public.

• On the Irish Greyhound Board website - on greyhound adoption - the IGB welcome donations, due to limited funding.
• The message of welcoming donations is repeated on the IRGT website, a donate button also included. 
• The public can also donate to the IRGT via the iDonate website.
• A recent article on the IGB website shows how €1,839.52 was recently raised for the IRGT, by donations from the public.
• A member of the public can even buy a 2019 Calendar to help raise funds for the IRGT.

It seems that the IRGT - operated and supported by the IGB - does indeed accept donations from the public and therefore the non-publication of its Annual Reports must be a breach of section 54 of the Charities Act 2009.

Of course, this is not the first time the IGB have been involved in breaches of Legislation:

•  The constant and continued breach of the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 section 10 : Transfer of Ownership which allows for the traceability of greyhounds
• For nine years greyhounds were illegally bred/registered/raced under the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations 2005 
•  IGS also uncovered breaches of the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 section 11: Restrictions on Breeding for female greyhounds - including Dalcash Diva having nine litters.

Despite such breaches of Legislation, and many other ongoing issues of serious concern,
 the Government hand-outs for the greyhound industry 

continue to rise obscenely - €16.8m for 2109.

Taking the total Government subsidies to the industry to €132,400,000

(€132 M, 400 Thousand) 

for the years 2010 to 2019

Plus an extra €23m from the Government in their purchase of the Harrolds Cross track - to help the IGB wipe their debt of €23m.

UPDATE June 2019

Since IGS researched and published concerns of the IGB/IRGT being in breach of the Charities Act 2009(for taking public donations while being registered as a Private Charitable Trust - not having to disclose to the public it's financial documents)in Oct 2018, the IGB/IRGT websites have now removed any references to asking the public for donations.

Although there is still one site running and taking donations for the IGB-run IRGT - even giving information about how it funds a rescue despite that rescue no longer running, and IGB Welfare Manager/IRGT Secretary recently ran a fundraiser asking the public to donate.

UPDATE 30th July 2019

The IRGT have now changed their charitable status from Private Charitable Trust to Trust.
This means they can now legally accept public donations and are now responsible for publishing their
financial accounts - through the Charities Regulator website.
It remains to be seen if any action will be taken by the Charities Regulator against the IGB/IRGT for
their previous breach of the Charities Act 2009.

Doping(again)

The less you look for bad news, the less bad news you will 

have to publish(or worry about having to publish).

Following on from our 2014 article on Doping , and our 2015 article Doping Continued , IGS thought it was time to have a brief look at this continued issue again.

The headline of the recent Irish Times article on Irish greyhound doping, 'Perception that trainers use drugs on dogs ruins industry image', shows exactly how important PR is for the Irish Greyhound Board.

Just as we have seen with misleading injury data from the IGB, and misleading IGB/Irish Retired Greyhound Trust adoption figures - given by the IGB new Chairman, Frank Nyhan, in a statement to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine in 2017 - figures given for anti-doping are also used to mislead the public that the IGB are taking doping seriously.

Despite the IGB, in 2017 taking delivery of a €400k 'state of the art analytical system that allows for the detection of substances..'  the six months samples figure for 2018 falls short of the samples taken for the six months of 2014.

• 2014 - January to June 2,822  
• 2018 - January to June 2,665

Indeed the decline in the taking of greyhound urine samples for dope testing, has declined each year since 2013:

• 2013 - 7,307
• 2015 - 5,632
• 2016 - 5,387
• 2017 - 5,294

On announcing the new testing equipment last year, the IGB stated: 'The Irish Greyhound Board’s programme to enhance integrity in the sport has been significantly strengthened through a major upgrading of its laboratory testing infrastructure.'

If the IGB have a 'programme to enhance integrity' in greyhound racing,

 then why is their new 'state of the art' testing equipment not used more - 

to take full advantage of it's capabilities?

Could it be that the new testing equipment will overheat if used to much?

Or, could it be that if more urine samples are taken, then more urine samples will show positives for prohibited substances? 

After all, the 'perception that trainers use drugs on dogs ruins industry image'

Greyhound Traceability

Under the publication of the Draft Greyhound Industry Bill 2018,

The Irish Greyhound Board(soon to be named Greyhound Racing Ireland)

'may make regulations for the...traceability of greyhounds' through

'prescribing the life events[of greyhounds]which are to be notified'.

Life events such as birth, sale, death, loss, export, injury, doping/racing sanctions, breeding:

see Head 16 (5)(d)

Such publications of traceability has been called for for many, many years.

The IGB could now take this time to make such regulations to show full,
and transparent, traceability recordings for each greyhound registered -
and should make such recordings publicly accessible.

Currently the IGB show on their website, for each greyhound, date of birth, the owner(often incorrect, and an offence under the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 - transfer of ownership regs), trainer(if applicable), Dam and Sire, pedigree, litters(if applicable), totals of prize money, and race results.

IGS highlights here just a few greyhounds, from the hundreds we have researched over the years, as examples of the notification of life events of Irish greyhounds -

that the IGB may make regulations for,

as proposed under the Draft Greyhound Industry Bill 2018.

• Curragh Andy - Listed as being owned by Michael O'Keeffe. The IGB could now give notice that Curragh Andy was exported to Chile for racing.
• Holly Wood - Listed as being owned by Pat Carey. The IGB could now give notice that Holly Wood was exported to Argentina for racing.
• Rathluric Sham - Listed as being owned by Shane Corkery. The IGB could now give notice that Rathluric Sham is dead - shot and dumped in a quarry in 2012.
• Kildangan Dawn - Listed as being owned by Tony Walsh/Brian Walsh. The IGB could now give notice that Kildangan Dawn is dead - found shot and dumped with Rathluric Sham 2012.
• Sidarian Blaze - Listed as being owned by The Sidarian Syndicate. The IGB could now give notice that Sidarian Blaze suffered a bad break after smashing into the rails at Wimbledon track, and is now used as a stud dog.
• Sole Reason - Listed as being owned by Henning Olesen. The IGB could now give notice that Sole Reason was exported to Spain for racing and breeding.
• Kereight King - Listed as being owned by Aiden Denton. The IGB could now give notice that Kereight King was given a banned substance, and was used as a stud dog.
• Moral Duty - Listed as being owned by Tony Haugh. The IGB could now give notice that Moral Duty was exported to China for breeding.
• Pennys Swan - Listed as being owned by the GBGB. 
• Ticco Foods - Listed as being owned by Ticco Foods Ltd. The IGB could now give notice that both Ticco Foods and Pennys Swan were exported to the UK for racing, both given a prohibited substance(which was highlighted in a BBC investigative report).
• Tally Ho Miller - Listed as being owned by the GBGB. The IGB could now give notice that Tally Ho Miller was given a banned substance in Ireland, then exported to the UK for racing(to be trained by JP Lambe who had himself been found guilty of a doping offence).
• Top Honcho - Listed as being owned by Michael Dunne. The IGB could now give notice that Top Honcho is dead, and that his sperm had been used illegally under the Artificial Insemination of Greyhound Regulations 2005. (Now those Regulations have been waived Top Honcho continues to sire greyhounds 10 years after his death).
• Tyrur Sugar Ray - Listed as being owned by P.J.Fahy. The IGB could now give notice that Tyrur Sugar Ray was bred/registered/raced illegally under the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations 2005.
• Tyrur Nathan - Listed as being owned by P.J.Fahy. The IGB Could Now give notice that Tyrur Nathan was bred/registered/raced illegally under the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations 2005.
• Burnt Oak Bolt - Listed as being owned by Patrick O'Sullivan. The IGB could now give notice that Burnt Oak Bolt was exported to Argentina for racing, and is now dead.
• Fortfield Chief - Listed as being owned by James McMahon. The IGB could now give notice that Fortfied Chief tested positive for Amphetamines.
• Inslips Fizz - Listed as being owned by David Kennedy. The IGB could now give notice that Inslips Fizz was killed by the track vet at the Clonmel track.
• Barney Rubble - Listed as being owned by Seamus McCloskey. The IGB could now give notice that Barney Rubble was exported to Spain for racing, found as a stray by Spanish rescue Scoobys Medina, then homed in Italy.
• Mineola Sprint - Listed as being owned by Seamus McClosky. The IGB could now give notice that Mineola Sprint was exported to Pakistan for racing, and now reported as being dead.(Seamu McClusky greyhound owner/breeder also an Architect of the IGB headquarters/Limerick Greyhound track).
• Shanless Becky - Listed as being owned by Brendan Cullen. The IGB could now give notice that Shanless Becky suffered an injury at Harrolds Cross track by running into an exposed piece of the rail, and was then used for breeding.
• Youthful Silver - Listed as being owned by Maurice O'Connor. The IGB could now give notice that Youthful Silver was found straying in Co.Kerry, extremely underweight with open sores.
• Reverse Backways - Listed as being owned by the GBGB. The IGB could now give notice that Reverse Backways was exported to the UK for racing, and was killed by a track vet at Monmore Stadium. (This followed unquestionable neglect of welfare for Reverse Backways).
• Drumcrow Apollo - Listed as being owned by Roy Ruddy The IGB could Now give notice that Drumcrow Apollo was exported to Argentina for racing and breeding.
• Fishman - Listed as being owned by June Maguire. The IGB could now give notice that Fishman was exported to Chile for racing.
• IMOKRYOU - Listed as being owned by Right and Proper Syndicate. The IGB could now give notice that IMOKRYOU was used for breeding then surrendered to a dog pound in a neglected state.
• Deerfield Sings - Listed as being owned by Bryan Dalton. The IGB could now give notice that Deerfield Sings was exported for racing in Portugal.
• Blackboy Trouble - Listed as being owned by Jeremiah Kirby. The IGB could now give notice that Blackboy Trouble was exported to Pakistan for racing.
• Duke Special - Listed as being owned by Steve Locke. The IGB could now give notice that Duke Special was exported to Argentina for racing.
• Ballymac Floss - Listed as being owned by Elaine T Parker. The IGB could now give notice that Ballymac Floss had an illegally 9th registered litter.(an offence under the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 - Restriction on Breeding).
• Dalcash Diva - Listed as being owned by Sean Meade. The IGB could now give notice that Dalcash Diva had an illegally 9th registered litter.(an offence under the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011 - Restriction on Breeding).
• Parada - Listed as being owned by Eva Abedi. The IGB could now give notice that Parada was exported to Spain, for breeding.
• Iceroad Driver - Listed as being owned by Lou Cross. The IGB could now give notice that Iceroad Driver was exported to Spain(has mated with Parada)
• Ardfert Thunder - Listed as being owned by Owen and Adrian Clifford. The IGB could now give notice that Ardfert Thunder was exported to Nangong Dog Industry, China for breeding.
• Ballyina Droopy - Listed as being owned by John Hayes. The IGB could now give notice that Ballyina Droopy was found badly injured straying in Limerick with open wounds.
• Kierans Trotter - Listed as being owned by Donie Galvin/Der Dineen. The IGB could now give notice that Kierans Trotter was exported to Pakistan.
• Leeview Dave - Listed as being owned by Thomas Delaney. The IGB could now give notice that Leeview Dave was exported to Chile for racing.
• Seefin Hitch - Listed as being owned by Brenda Barrett. The IGB could now give notice that Seefin Hitch was exported to China for breeding.
• Ballymac Hilda - Listed as being owned by Mathew Connell/Javier Jarne. The IGB could now give notice that Ballymac Hilda was exported to Spain for racing.
• Hotshot Farlo - Listed as being owned by Kenneth Bohan. The IGB could now give notice that Hotshot Farlo was found as a stray in Ireland and taken to a dog pound(the dog pound kept Hotshot Farlo until space could be found by the rescue who was able to take him).
• Knocnacree Boss - Listed as being owned by Alan O'Connor/Niamh McKenna. The IGB could now give notice that Knocnacree Boss was exported to Pakistan for racing/coursing.
• Lantern Leon - Listed as being owned by Stephen Wrenn. The IGB could now give notice that despite perfect health, Lantern Leon was surrendered to the dog pound to be killed. Thankfully was released to a rescue for homing.
• North Bound - Listed as being owned by Daniel P Greene. The IGB could now give notice that North Bound was exported to China for breeding.
• Sheepwalk Mac - Listed as being owned by Keon O'Neill. The IGB could now give notice that Sheepwalk Mac was exported to Argentina for racing and breeding.
• Tir Na Croi - Listed as being owned by Nora McDonagh/Katie Fallon. The IGB could now give notice that Tir Na Croi tested positive for cocaine.
• We Have Bob - Listed as being owned by The Stradbally Syndicate. The IGB could now give notice that We Have Bob was exported to Pakistan and is now dead.
• Uncle Jayfkay - Listed as being owned by Anthony Fuda. The IGB could now give notice that Uncle Jayfkay was given amphetamines.
• Fridays Keegan - Listed as being owned by Paul Whyte. The IGB could now give notice that Fridays Keegan was exported to Chile for racing and renamed Grillito.
• Scotchrath Driver - Listed as being owned by Anne Brennan. The IGB could now give notice that Scotchrath Driver was exported to Spain for racing.
• Tynwold Gyp (previously named Gyp Rosetti)Listed as being owned by Terry Cordin. The IGB could now give notice that Tynwold Gyp was given a banned substance. 
• Psychic Sam - Listed as being owned by Phil Curtin/Father Patrick Lawton. The IGB could now give notice that Psychic Sam was exported to Chile for racing.
• Goes Wilder - Listed as being owned by Dan Clancy The IGB could now give notice that Goes Wilder tested positive for cocaine. 
• Billys Questions - Listed as being owned by the GBGB. The IGB could now give notice that Billys questions tested positive for cocaine.
• Dalcash Fickle - Listed as being owned by Nicholas Colton. The IGB could now give notice that Dalcash Fickle was awarded Golden Oldie Bitch at a 2015 Irish Retired Greyhound Trust show(there is great irony in this video, which stars a greyhound owner/trainer who admitted publicly that 'it's impossible to find a loving home for every single greyhound', and she doesn't 'find it inhumane to put a dog to sleep by shooting them', and the IGB Welfare Manager).
• Hondo County - Listed as being owned by the GBGB. The IGB could now give notice that Hondo County was given amphetamines by Nicholas Colton(the listed owner of Dalcash Fickle).

This is just a tiny insight into the traceability of the
thousands of greyhounds bred and used.
Just between 2010 and 2017 at least 134,772 greyhounds were bred
for the greyhound industry -
for those same years 3,345 greyhounds were surrendered to Irish dog pounds,
  2,729 of them were destroyed in those pounds.

  Too few find homes - the question keeps being asked

 'what happens to them all?'

This industry of mass breeding is funded by the Irish Government - 

€115,600,000 from 2010 to 2018
(plus an extra €23m from the Government for the purchase of Harrolds Cross -
 to help the IGB wipe their debt of €23m).

From Riches to Rags

Bred from a champion greyhound, then bred with a champion greyhound,
then dumped at the dog pound.

Every greyhound - indeed every dog - who
ends up in a dog pound has a story.
IGS highlights another greyhound who fell from grace.
Hopefully her story will help to highlight the plight of
dogs in pounds - they are more than just pound dogs.

Racing and Coursing photographer/greyhound breeder and owner, Yvonne Harrington - a darling of the greyhound industry - received an award in 2013, at The Retired Greyhound Show in Dublin - a series of shows from the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust. 

Yvonne Harrington, aka Helen Kiely, visited the IGS Facebook Page in 2015 to share one of her IRGT show videos with us - although she didn't reply to our comment about the greyhound who won the 'Golden Oldie Bitch' in her video still being registered as owned by Nicholas Colton - a greyhound owner with a history on greyhound doping.

In 2013, after taking nearly two years to come into season, following a bad injury, Yvonne Harrington's greyhound, 'Tarsna Sal', was mated with the 2012 Irish Derby-winning greyhound 'Skywalker Puma'.

In 2015 'Tarsna Sal' was used for breeding again, with champion greyhound 'Ballymac Eske', giving birth to a litter five of pups, one of those pups was named 'IMOKRYOU'. The breeder registered in the Stud Book for the whole litter is Yvonne Harrington's partner, Geoff Parnaby.

IMOKRYOU continues to be registered as being owned by a syndicate, whilst two of her siblings are registered as being owned by Geoff Parnaby, the other two siblings registered for racing in the UK.

IMOKRYOU fell from grace less than two and a half years after her birth.

IMOKRYOU was never used for racing, but she did give birth to a litter of pups in December 2017, sired by the Irish Derby-winning Skywalker Puma - the same greyhound her mother had been mated with in 2013. 
After raising her litter, IMOKRYOU ended up in a dog pound in April 2018, underweight, with a poor coat and a bad wrist injury - she was of no further use to the racing industry.
In that same time, April 2018, Yvonne Harrington publicly stated how sad she was to 'keep coming across the most horrendous stories of people being cruel to their pets.....rehome your pets if you don't want them[sad-tear-face]'.

There is something especially profound in a greyhound
 being named 'IMOKRYOU' having to be
 rescued from being destroyed in a dog pound.

Now IMOKRYOU will be OK.

IGS suspects Yvonne Harrington would defend herself by saying something like: not knowing the fate of one of the daughters of her greyhound. But if she can publicly state to 'keep coming across the most horrendous stories of people being cruel to their pets.....rehome your pets if you don't want them[sad-tear-face]' then she should make it her business to follow the fates of all the greyhounds she has had a responsibility for, especially through breeding - and especially when accepting an award at an Irish Retired Greyhound Trust show.

 From the 3,345 greyhounds who entered  

Dog Pounds in Ireland, for the years 2010 to 2017,

2,729 of them were destroyed.

UPDATE - July 2018

Geoff Parnaby is no longer registered as owner of any of IMOKRYOU's siblings. 

The Irish Retired Greyhound Trust

In 2014 IGS highlighted areas of the

Irish Retired Greyhound Trust(IRGT)

for the years 2010 to 2013.

Now in 2018, IGS takes a new look at the IRGT

for the years since....

to highlight further if there is any strength in the word 'Trust'.

'Changing perceptions'

In 2014, IGS highlighted an article where Irish Greyhound Board Welfare Manager/Irish Retired Greyhound Trust Secretary, Barry Coleman, was 'passionate about making sure more greyhounds live out their days here[Ireland]'. But homing greyhounds in Ireland through the IRGT has not advanced since then, very few of the greyhounds homed via the IRGT have been homed in Ireland. The IRGT rely on European adoption agencies. Some adoption agencies want to help with greyhound homing but find the process difficult where some costs are not met, or not met fully, and are given(often)poor photos of greyhounds available/on a waiting list to show to potential adopters. 

The IRGT website is poorly up-dated/confusing/conflicting in areas, there is no link to it via the IGB website, indeed the IRGT doesn't even have an adoption centre where greyhounds can be met by the public.

Outside of Ireland, greyhounds are more welcomed as the beautiful animals they are and the beautiful companion animals they make. Sadly, In Ireland the main perceptions of greyhounds continue to be as of them being racing/working dogs. The main work of 'changing perceptions'  in Ireland of, and for, greyhounds is left to be done by hard-working, dedicated, and often financially-exhausted, independent rescues/charities and not by the IRGT. 

 Imagine how much further promoting greyhounds as companion animals would go if

the sale of Harolds Cross greyhound track, to the Education Deptartment,

(to help rid the IGB of it's massive debts)
included a clause that an IRGT centre would be built on the site.
(The UK Rretired Greyhound Trust has 57 adoption centres)

Numbers

In November 2017 the IGB gave an interview on 4FM's Niall Boylan Show in a PR move to reassure the public on greyhound track injuries/deaths. The misleading figures/data backfired when the subject moves to greyhound adoption, Niall Boylan is clearly shocked. 

But even looking at the true figures, the IRGT(direct and assisted)greyhound homing figures are poor to say the least. 

The Irish Coursing Club are responsible for registrations of greyhound litters in the Irish Greyhound Stud Book. Using the litter figures supplied by the ICC, and using the average of 6 pups per litter that they themselves use, we can see that at least 102,108 greyhounds were born in Ireland from 2011 to 2016.

For the same years(2011 to 2016)figures supplied from the IRGT/IGB show that only 4,064 greyhounds were homed(directly and assisted)by the IRGT.

While IGS views any greyhound homed as a perfect ending for that greyhound, 

it is clear there is so much more that the IRGT should be doing.

(The UK RGT homed 3,811 in one year -2016)

Funding

In 2014 the damming Indecon report was published. Of the many serious recommendations for change within the racing industry, the report called for, was the recommendation for 'additional funds to be paid to the[Irish]Retired Greyhound Trust'. 

The 2014 IGB Annual Report shows IGB contribution to the IRGT was €221,051. 

In 2015 the IGB contribution to the IRGT declined to €206,381.

In 2016 the IGB contribution to the IRGT rose from 2015 but still declined from 2014 to €217,306.

It is interesting to note that the IRGT annual financial reports to the Charities Regulator show a differing income for each of those years:

2014: IRGT Income €202,864

2015: IRGT Income €182,079

2016: IRGT Income €203, 750

Thankfully the IRGT would qualify for the charity tax-exemption status.

(The UK RGT operate from incomes like the £4.1m income for 2016)

The 2015 reported annual IRGT income was not much higher, in the scheme of things, than the hand-shake-pay-off of  €116,000 the ex IGB CEO, Geraldine Larkin, was given at the termination of her contract in Dec 2016. Geraldine Larkin celebrated a €7k IGB industry investment in 2016, which included a €250,000 Breeders Scheme.

A further interesting note is of Denis Healy being appointed as an IRGT Trustee in November 2017. You can hear Denis Healy speaking about how the IGB take welfare seriously, despite declines in doping tests, and declines in welfare inspections.

Sadly, 4 years on from our last IRGT highlight, IGS still has to say:

The perceptions that Greyhounds are 'working dogs or racing dogs' is indeed something that must be changed - creating perceptions that all is good on the industry-funded rehoming

 front is PR that fails the industry tool: the beautiful Greyhound.