Parliamentary Questions February 2021

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To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine if Rásaíocht Con Éireann covers the cost of vaccination, neutering and a pet passport before the greyhound is rehomed as part of the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust and funded through the Greyhound Care Fund.

PQ No: 8237/21

To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine the average age of a greyhound entering into the greyhound care centre under the Greyhound Care Fund; the measures in place to identify greyhounds that will not make racing grade; and the protocols in place to move them out of the industry and into the welfare area as soon as possible.

PQ No: 8238/21

To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine if the Rásaíocht Con Éireann doping strategy continues to be non-intelligence led; the improvements made to the testing equipment and to the laboratory facilities following on from the Irish Greyhound Board anti-doping and medication review carried out by a person (details supplied) in 2015; and the protocols in place regarding transparency and reporting procedures for adverse analytical findings.

PQ No: 8236/21

Question:

- Eoin Ó Broin.

Answer:

Dear Deputy

The above mentioned PQ refers.

The Irish Retired Greyhound Trust (IRGT) is a Registered Charity operated by Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ), since 1997, for the rehoming of retired Irish greyhounds. The Trust is funded by greyhound owners through a 2% deduction from all win Prizemoney and matching contributions from Rásaíocht Con Éireann. This RCÉ contribution is in addition to other financial support from RCÉ. The IRGT may also receive voluntary donations from industry participants and from fundraising initiatives carried out by industry participants on behalf of the IRGT.

The IRGT provides financial assistance to greyhound owners towards the costs associated with preparing retired greyhounds for rehoming. This financial assistance includes a contribution of €50 towards the Neutering/Spaying of a greyhound and an €80 contribution towards the required inoculations, vaccinations (rabies & kennel cough), the issuing of a Pet Passport by a veterinary surgeon (the IRGT has an arrangement with DAFM whereby Pet Passports are supplied by DAFM free of charge for greyhounds which are to be rehomed) and Health Check. The IRGT may from time to time provide financial assistance to owners towards additional veterinary treatments on an ad hoc basis e.g. in the event of there being complications during a neuter/spay procedure or a dental treatment.

The IRGT also provides financial assistance to a number of Private Irish Greyhound Rescues which engages with the IRGT. Many of the collaborations began in early 2015 and have led to a significant increase in the number of greyhounds which these Agencies have rehomed over the years. Private Greyhound Rehoming Agencies may submit proposals to the IRGT for financial assistance and such proposals are then considered by the Trustees of the IRGT.

Along with rehoming retired greyhounds in Ireland, the IRGT collaborates with Rehoming Agencies in the U.K., Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium, Slovenia, France, Sweden, U.S. and Canada to increase the number of retired greyhounds which it rehomes on an annual basis.

3346 retired greyhounds were rehomed through the IRGT Rehoming Programme from 2015 to 2020 and the Private Greyhound Rehoming Organisations (i.e. those Organisations who are in receipt of financial and other assistance from the IRGT) also rehomed an additional 3021 retired greyhounds in this period.

PQ No: 8237/21

Question:

- Eoin Ó Broin.

Answer:

Dear Deputy

The above mentioned PQ refers.

The average age of greyhounds entering the Greyhound Care Centre is 3 years and 3 months.

Unraced greyhounds are required to run two qualifying trials to be accepted for racing, however, greyhounds only have to better or equal qualifying time in one of the two trials to be deemed eligible for racing.

Under the grading system there are 12 individual Grades over Sprint Distances and 12 individual Grades over Middle Distances for greyhounds with AAO being at the higher (top) end and A10 being at the lower (bottom) end. The grading system provides racing opportunities for greyhounds over a very broad range of ability.

Greyhounds which fail to achieve a qualification time are not permitted to race and if after some further schooling and improvement of fitness these greyhounds still fail to reach the qualification standard then owners may enter their greyhounds in the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust (IRGT) Greyhound Rehoming Program or owners may rehome their greyhounds through one of a number of private Greyhound Rehoming Organisations located in Ireland. Many of these private greyhound rehoming organisation are in receipt of financial assistance from the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust which is a registered charity established by Rásaíocht Con Éireann in 1997.

PQ No: 8238/21

Question:

Details Supplied: Professor Morris

- Eoin Ó Broin.

Reply:

Dear Deputy

The above mentioned PQ refers.

It is not correct to suggest that the RCÉ testing regime is not intelligence led.

The below table indicates the number of samples taken in the industry since 2016. The extremely low level of adverse analytical findings reported, which display a marked decreasing trend over the last 5 years, indicate a well-regulated sport that takes its integrity responsibilities very seriously in the area of doping and medication control through the implementation of a multi-faceted approach to its testing activity. The figures of samples analysed and findings reported, compare very favourably with those of other sports in Ireland.

Year	Samples Taken	Adverse Findings	% Adverse Findings
2016	5195	47	0.90%
2017	5294	29	0.55%
2018	5288	22	0.42%
2019	5702	15	0.26%
2020	4251	11	0.26%

It should be noted that the reduction of sampling from 2019 to 2020 is due to significant interruption to racing activity and a reduced level of routine inspections arising from Covid 19 restrictions.

The minimum requirement for any racing meeting is that two samples are taken. However should a greyhound inexplicably improve in form a Stewards Inquiry is held at the track and a sample is taken from the greyhound. The same can be said for greyhounds that do not perform to the expected standard without a reasonable explanation.

Track sampling activity includes Racing, Trials, and Sales Trials. Operating outside of the routine sampling arrangements on race nights, designated personnel attend tracks without notice on a random and targeted basis for the purpose of obtaining samples for the detection of prohibited substances. No advance notice is given to the Stadium or owners and trainers of this activity.

Since the Morris Report in 2015, Rásaíocht Con Éireann has incorporated the testing of sweepstake rounds of events in addition as part of its routine testing on a nightly basis at tracks. Additionally despite the Covid restrictions endured , as part of the 4251 samples analysed at the National Greyhound Laboratory in 2020, over 400 samples were taken “off track” in the form of out of competition testing where inspections are un-announced.

In 2017, Rásaíocht Con Éireann purchased a “state of the art” Waters TQXS triple quadrupole liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer (LCMS) analytical system for its laboratory (The INAB approved National Greyhound Laboratory) in Limerick. It is the top of the range within its class and will allow for the detection of substances at very low levels in the samples taken from greyhounds. The machine also allows for an increase in the spectrum of drugs which can be targeted in each analytical run on individual samples taken from greyhounds. Further investment in upgrading other equipment at the National Greyhound Laboratory will be undertaken in 2021.

RCÉ is also part of an industry group incorporating a number of agencies on Management of Drugs Action in Sport (MIDAS) which allows for an exchange and sharing of information. RCÉ also operates a Scientific Committee comprising external experts to advise in relation to testing substances generally.

The protocols around the reporting of Adverse Analytical Findings are governed by the Greyhound Industry (Racing) Regulations and Greyhound Industry (Control Committee and Control Appeal Committee) Regulations which were amended in 2015 to ensure greater transparency in the reporting and determination of these matters.

The Greyhound Industry (Racing) Regulations, SI 396 of 2015, provide for the mandatory referral of positive samples to the independent Control Committee and for the mandatory publication of laboratory adverse analytical findings on the website of Rásaíocht Con Éireann to include

That there has been an adverse analytical finding
The name of the prohibited substance
The name and identification number of the greyhound concerned
The names of the registered owner and the licenced trainer at the time of the taking of such sample, and
The date upon which and the place at which the said sample was taken.

Similarly, the Greyhound Industry (Control Committee and Control Appeal Committee) Regulations, SI 396 of 2015, provide that all decisions of the Control Committee and Control Appeal Committee are published in addition to the reasons for arriving at any determination of a matter.