LAST WEEKEND, A video was circulated online of four young greyhounds kept in horrendous conditions in Parteen Co. Clare, in lonely and cramped cells within a dilapidated shed, with one of the dogs wearing a cruel and dangerous anti-bark muzzle.

Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI) officers inspected the premises after it was reported and determined that there were no breaches of welfare policies, despite the very visible suffering of the dogs.

This is hardly surprising given the history of abuse within the greyhound industry in Ireland and the complete lack of meaningful oversight of the welfare of their dogs.

Clare Animal Welfare found the neglected dogs, locked up in small cages with muzzles on.

According to GRI’s own figures, 197 greyhounds died as a result of racing in 2025, with hundreds more suffering serious injuries. The year prior, 202 greyhounds died on the track or shortly after.

This, in addition to the countless greyhounds suffering cruelty behind the scenes, with dogs often kept under deplorable conditions, such as those seen in Parteen, and subjected to abusive breeding and training practices.

One particularly shocking feature of this industry is the practice of surgical artificial insemination, which is banned for all other breeds of dogs due to clear ethical and welfare concerns. It is an absolutely barbaric practice in which a dog is cut open, artificially impregnated, sewn back up, and then expected to carry its pups to term while simultaneously recovering from this surgery.

There is no doubt that many greyhound owners sincerely love and care for their dogs, but the reality is that abuse and cruelty are accepted norms within this industry.

Taxpayer-funded cruelty

This year, GRI will be handed almost €20 million in taxpayer money without qualification and without expectation for accountability or transparency, bringing the total amount handed over to greyhound racing by the taxpayer up to €387 million since 2001.

This allocation is made under the assumption that the subsidy contributes to economic growth, and that GRI has a functioning system for protecting its greyhounds.

Unfortunately, neither of these assumptions comes close to reality.

The greyhound industry in modern Ireland is clearly fading in popularity and relevance, with a business model that is looking increasingly unviable and reliant on public handouts to stay afloat. 

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In July 2021, a report was commissioned by GRI on the economic and financial significance of the greyhound industry, which has since been taken as gospel by the Government in justifying the industry’s funding allocation.

This report vastly overestimates the value of greyhound racing to our economy, relying heavily on information and data supplied by the industry itself. It is therefore closer to GRI grading its own homework than any independent analysis.

There is also no deep dive into the problematic export of greyhounds. Every year, 6,000 Irish greyhounds are exported to Britain, as part of the £2.7 billion gambling industry in that country. How does the industry account for the welfare of these pups?

A half-baked welfare system

The greyhound industry is very quick to mention the amount of money being spent on care homes for retired greyhounds. Looking at the number of dogs that are rehomed by the industry at the taxpayer’s expense, there is a clear lack of value for money.

In March 2021, there was a commitment that there would be four care homes set up for greyhounds by the industry, but only two care centres have been set up since then. Those two care centres together received €291,000 in 2024 but only managed to rehome 36 dogs at a cost of €8,000 per dog.

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In contrast, care homes set up and run by dog welfare professionals separate from the industry are able to provide for many more dogs at a fraction of the cost. DEEL Sighthound Rescue, which is a small, voluntary-run rescue in County Limerick, got €15,000 in 2024 and managed to rehome 143 dogs, of which 23 were racing greyhounds. That works out to only €109 per dog.

Separately, the Greyhound Racing Act (2019) promised a traceability system to track greyhounds throughout their lives and deliver better welfare outcomes across the sector.

After two years and €295,000 spent on development, this traceability system was launched in 2021 with an annual cost of €92,000. Data produced by this system shows that of the 7,449 greyhounds born in this initial year and are still remaining on the island, 3,206 (43%) are dead and 1,997 (27%) are unaccounted for. Only 30% of the dogs born in this year can be confirmed as alive, with the oldest only being five years old.

In percentage terms, there is little sign that the number of dead and unaccounted dogs has improved since this scandal was highlighted by the 2019 RTÉ Investigates documentary Greyhounds: Running For Their Lives.

Earlier this month, our neighbours in Wales and Scotland both voted to ban greyhound racing. Meanwhile, our Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon, has declared that he has no intention of doing the same, leaving Ireland as an outlier not just in Europe but across the world.

If the Minister for Agriculture is opposed to taking this step and joining the global consensus, he needs to at the very least initiate an independent review of GRI’s economic viability and record on animal welfare. The public is entitled to know the facts about the greyhound racing and how it has been spending our money.

The current policy of unconditional funding rewards opacity, inflates economic claims, and ignores systemic welfare failures. It undermines public trust and takes advantage of the taxpayer, and until that changes, we cannot expect to see improvement in value for money, or most importantly, the dignity and welfare of our greyhounds.

Chris Andrews is a Sinn Féin Senator and was formerly a TD for Dublin Bay South.

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