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 over €366 million in government grants since 2001, including €18.2 million for 2023, €19 million for 2024 and €19.82 million for 2025 (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 Agriculture Minister and the leaders of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein to stop supporting this funding.

Martin Heydon TD
Minister for Agriculture
Tel: 01-618 3017
Email: minister@agriculture.gov.ie; martin.heydon@oireachtas.ie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/martinheydonfg
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/martinheydonfg

Micheál Martin TD
Leader, Fianna Fail
Email: micheal.martin@oireachtas.ie; info@fiannafail.ie
Tel: 01 619 4000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michealmartintd/
X: http://www.twitter.com/@MichealMartinTD

Simon Harris TD
Leader, Fine Gael
Telephone: 01 281 3727
Email: simon.harris@oireachtas.ie; finegael@finegael.ie
X: http://www.twitter.com/SimonHarrisTD
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeputySimonHarris

Mary Lou McDonald TD
Leader, Sinn Fein
Tel: (01) 727 7102
Email: marylou.mcdonald@oireachtas.ie
X: https://twitter.com/MaryLouMcDonald
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MaryLouMcDonaldTD

Irish Government grants to greyhound racing

2001 €11,777,583
2002 €13,613,163
2003 €12,837,200
2004 €13,382,800
2005 €13,670,000
2006 €14,012,000
2007 €14,572,000
2008 €15,257,000
2009 €13,625,600
2010 €11,852,800
2011 €11,460,000
2012 €11,258,000
2013 €11,004,000
2014 €10,844,000
2015 €13,600,000
2016 €14,800,000
2017 €16,000,000
2018 €16,000,000
2019 €16,800,000
2020 €16,800,000
2021 €19,200,000
2022 €17,600,000
2023 €18,200,000
2024 €19,000,000
2025 €19,820,000

TOTAL: €366,986,146
(€366.9 Million)