Please sign our petition calling on the Irish Government to stop funding the cruel greyhound racing "industry". Greyhound Racing Ireland - which has control over track racing and hare coursing - has received €347 million in government grants since 2001, including €17.6 million for 2022, €18.2 million for 2023 and €19 million for 2024 (while other desperately needy sectors of Irish society are crying out for funding).

This despicable industry is responsible for the premature deaths of huge number of greyhounds, considered no longer fit to race on the track and those who don't make the grade. As revealed in the "RTE Investigates: Greyhounds Running for their Lives" documentary, around 6,000 greyhounds are killed every year because they are not fast enough to win. Secretly filmed footage showed greyhounds being shot in the head and dumped in skips.

Watch the full documentary at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM

The average lifespan of a greyhound is 12-14 years, but Irish racing greyhounds can only expect to live 3-4 years. Also, many greyhounds are sent abroad to destinations that have little or no animal welfare protection legislation (e.g. China and Pakistan), where they are kept in appalling conditions and raced to death.

It is also a corrupt industry with owners and trainers "openly admitting to doping" dogs as revealed on BBC and Channel 4 documentaries, while blooding (using hares, rabbits and small animals to keep the greyhounds keen) is an "open secret" in the industry.

Given the ongoing fall in attendances at tracks, it is clear that the general public has little interest in greyhound racing. The Irish Government must stop wasting precious funds on this dying activity.

Urge the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Finance Minister and Agriculture Minister to stop the funding and back a ban on cruel greyhound racing.

Taoiseach Simon Harris TD
Telephone: +353 (0)1 618 3805 or +353 (0)1 889 2442
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris

Tanaiste Micheál Martin TD
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1–618 4350 or +353 (0)21-432 0088
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD

Michael McGrath TD
Minister for Finance
Email: michael.mcgrath@oireachtas.ie; minister@per.gov.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/michael.mcgrath.1614
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mmcgrathtd

Charlie McConalogue
Minister for Agriculture
Tel: (01) 618 3199
Email: charlie.mcconalogue@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CharlieMcConalogue
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@McConalogue