10 signatures reached
To: Irish Government and the Department of Agriculture specifically
Strengthen laws on greyhound racing after RTE investigates programme
Strengthen the laws around greyhound racing in Ireland. Increase the severity of punishment for breaches of the law with specific reference to welfare and treatment of greyhounds. Recatorgise greyhounds from been classed as lifestock to dogs so they can have the same welfare protections as other dogs. Finally ringfence part of the 16.5million euro of taxpayers money given to the greyhound business every year to deal specifically with greyhound welfare, treatment and rehoming after they come to the end of there racing lives or deemed unsuitable for racing as opposed to what happens now which is mistreatment, export to countries with extremely poor animal welfare standards to be raced to death or killed for meat, wholesale destruction via vets or knackery yards for as little as €10 a dog or the maming through the use of acid or removal of the dogs ears so the tattooed number showing the dogs irish greyhound board registration is removed.
Why is this important?
It's important because Ireland as a country and a people have a reputation of been caring towards animals a reputation that the RTE investigates programme seriously questions. Secondly because the irish taxpayer is giving this industry 16.5million euro every year which equates to a quarter of a billion since the early 2000's and as such the animals in question deserve proper treatment and care and if the bodies who control the sport don't want to then the taxpayer who funds it should hold them to account. Thirdly because precedent has been set Sports Ireland withdrew 3 million of funding from FAI over strange financial practices and a loan from its CEO to the organisation yet the Irish Greyhound Board gets 16.5 million to allow the practices highlighted in Wednesday RTE Investigates programme which for me it just as bad if not worse than what FAI were doing