Green TD to introduce bill on funding greyhound industry

Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan has said that a bill that she is introducing in the Dáil is aimed at changing how funding is allocated to greyhound racing.

She said the bill could ultimately lead to increased funding for greyhound racing, if the industry could provide a reasonable business model that the Government is happy to fund.

Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, Ms Hourigan said that "we all agree" the current fund is extraordinary and does not work for the industry.

She said the horse and greyhound racing fund next year will be €91 million with an 80/20 split, with the smaller amount allocated to greyhound racing and the default nature of the fund acts as a block to developing the industry.

This bill is about is financial oversight and not animal welfare, she said, adding that is only right that the fund, which was established in 2001, is examined.

She said the greyhound industry has said it is happy to decouple the fund.

Speaking on the same programme, Independent TD for Kerry Michael Healy-Rae said there has to be scrutiny and proper oversight of public funding, but he is "fearful that this is the start of an attack on the greyhound industry".

He said he fears this bill will undermine the industry and said there are certain parties in the Dáil that "have a complete aversion to the whole greyhound industry and they would like to see it being dismantled and taken apart.

"The one way that you do that and ensure that is by going after the source of funding."

He rejected the suggestion that the motivation behind this bill is about getting more funding for the industry.

"There is no person in the Green Party or anybody like it that would come along tomorrow morning and say yes, I want to see more funding going to the