There are renewed calls on the Irish Government to end fur farming after Luxembourg this month become the 10th nation in the European Union to ban fur farms.
Fur Free Alliance is reporting that “a new progressive animal welfare law, that was proposed in 2016 by Minister of Agriculture Fernand Etgen, was passed that includes a prohibition on fur farming. The animal welfare act will go into effect in October 2018. Since Luxembourg currently has no fur farming industry, the law will mainly prevent new mink farms from being built.”
The group adds that the new welfare act is based on the assumption that animals are “living non-human sentient beings with a nervous system scientifically capable of feeling pain and experiencing other emotions” including “suffering and anguish”.
In May 2016 the Minister of Agriculture of Luxembourg, Fernand Etgen, presented the new law, declaring that “animal welfare legislation requires profound reform because of what scientific advances had revealed about animals, and because of changes in how animals are viewed by human society.”
Luxembourg follows a long list of countries — including Croatia, the UK, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, etc — that have all ended fur farming. In January, the government in Norway pledged to shut down all of the country’s 250 fur farms by 2025.
It’s time for the Irish Government to follow suit and ban this cruel industry. An ICABS petition calling for a ban on fur farming in Ireland has been signed by over 23,000 people. A Journal.ie opinion poll has shown that 79 per cent of people are in favour of a ban on fur farming here.
It is to Ireland’s shame that it continues to be a part of the fur trade. On the three remaining fur farms here, over 180,000 mink were caged and killed last year. The animals endure a life of misery until, at six months of age, they are pulled from the cages, thrown into a box and poisoned with carbon monoxide gas before the fur is pulled from their bodies.
See ICABS video footage showing mink pacing back and forth in the cages and repeatedly jumping against the bars of the cages to try and get free
ACTION ALERT
Please join us in urging Minister Michael Creed and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to put in place a long overdue ban on fur farming.
Email “Ban fur farming NOW” to Leo.Varadkar@oir.ie, michael.creed@oir.ie, taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, AnimalHealthAndWelfareAct@agriculture.gov.ie
During his visit to Ireland, Pope Francis will be urged to speak in favour of a ban on cruel hare coursing. Read John Fitzgerald’s Letter to the Editor in the Mail on Sunday…
Look to St Francis Letter to the Editor, Irish Mail on Sunday (June 17th 2018)
The Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports (CACS) will be calling on the Pope, when he visits, to support the abolition of hare coursing in Ireland.
The Pontiff took the name of Saint Francis of Assisi, Patron Saint of animals and the environment, a man who abhorred acts of cruelty to beings he hailed as his “brothers and sisters”. Each October, on the saint’s Feast Day, animal blessing are held worldwide, officiating clergy calling down God’s protection on “all creatures, great and small.”
At the so-called National Coursing Festival earlier this year I saw hares running from hyped-up dogs in the middle of a blizzard. Thick swirling snow, driven by searing winds, fell on a converted racecourse. Captive animals dodged and skidded around the slush covered baiting venue. Well dressed fans howled their approval, laughing, cheering, gambling, and swigging whiskey in a latter-day coliseum.
The three day fixture was the culmination of a five month season during which hares were mauled, had their bones crushed, or were “dispatched” by having their necks broken following other injuries. Video footage posted on YouTube exposes the gut wrenching savagery that our government allows.
It may be too much to hope for, that the Pontiff will find the time, or the inclination, to speak out on this issue when he visits in August. It will not be at the top of his list of diplomatic or ecclesiastical priorities.
Whatever about His Holiness, we believe that Saint Francis would have banned hare coursing.
John Fitzgerald
(Campaign for the Abolition Of Cruel Sports),
Callan, Co. Kilkenny
“Brexit might well prove to be the saviour of both the Irish greyhound and the iconic Irish Hare. If so, it will be living proof of the old adage that God never closes one door but he opens another!” Read John Fitzgerald’s Letter to the Editor in this week’s Irish Post newspaper.
EU Exit has silver lining for dogs
Letter to the Editor, Irish Post, June 16th 2018
I wonder if there might be a silver lining to the dark clouds of Brexit hovering over the island of Ireland.
Maybe not for us humans, but perhaps for the dogs that suffer so horribly in Ireland’s greyhound industry: Doped to make them run faster or slow them down, dumped or killed when their racing days are done, and still frowned upon as potential pets due to the negative perception of their use in live hare coursing and the feeding of live bait to them to enhance performance.
Eighty-five percent of greyhounds used on UK tracks come from Ireland, and bitches are routinely sent here from Britain for breeding purposes.
But the free movement of greyhounds between our two countries could be subject to severe restrictions once Brexit kicks in.
Export markets beyond the British one are practically non-existent, apart from the shady movements of dogs to rogue jurisdictions where they meet an even worse end…such as being boiled alive for the South Chinese meat markets or hanged with barbed wire at the end of their brief careers in Spain.
Those markets are so notorious that even the most ruthless Irish operators recoil from entrusting their dogs to them.
So, while sharing the widespread fears about the impact of Brexit on our economy, I welcome any development that will help to close down this cruel industry.
Its demise would be a blessing to man’s best friend. Never again would we hear of these docile, affectionate dogs turning up in shallow graves across the country, or staggering around disorientated after being doped to the eyeballs.
And the industry’s passing would sound the death knell for hare coursing. Those gentle creatures that grace our natural environment would at last be able to run free. No longer would net men snatch them from their humble grassy homes in the countryside. Gone would be the spectacle of cheering “sportspeople” huddled in fields or on racecourses…to watch hares being baited, mauled or flung skyward like broken dolls.
Brexit might well prove to be the saviour of both the Irish greyhound and the iconic Irish Hare. If so, it will be living proof of the old adage that God never closes one door but he opens another!
John Fitzgerald Campaign for the Abolition Of Cruel Sports
The Irish Post is available to purchase in newsagents. Visit the Irish Post website at https://www.irishpost.com
A 1-year-old greyhound suffered a heart attack and died during a race at Clonmel track, the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has confirmed.
The greyhound, named Darty Talk, collapsed at the finishing line during the 4th May race and fell head-first to the ground. It was her first race.
Race footage on the Irish Greyhound Board Youtube channel shows the moment the animal collapses
Responding to a Dail Question from Clare Daly TD yesterday, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed (who has shamefully approved millions of euros of funding for the greyhound industry) stated: “Bord na gCon [Irish Greyhound Board] has informed me that on the 4th May 2018 the greyhound ‘Darty Talk’ competed in the seventh race at Clonmel track. The report from the Bord na gCon Stipendiary Steward officiating that night, indicated the dog led for most of the race but collapsed and died approaching the winning line. The vet on duty confirmed a ‘heart attack’ as the cause of death.”
As the greyhound died, a man could be seen running in the direction of the animal as the race commentator announced the next race and a “greyhounds as pets” website address.
Details of the race on the Irish Greyhound Board website gives no indication whatsoever that Darty Talk died. According to the IGB race results, she finished the race in fifth position, with a time of 29.91 seconds and zero prize money.
Darty Talk is one of countless victims of the cruel greyhound industry. In the past three years, over 1,000 greyhounds have suffered injuries at tracks around the country and 385 have been killed by track vets.
An estimated 10,000 more go missing each year – presumed killed when found to be too slow to win races.
Greyhounds are also dying in local dog pounds. 80 were destroyed in pounds last year, bringing to 2,729 the number killed in pounds in the past eight years.
Clonmel greyhound track is one of the majority of remaining tracks that are loss-making. Last year, Minister Creed refused to say how much of a massive interest-free loan was paid back by Clonmel track. Minister Creed cited “commercial sensitivity” in reply to a Dail question from Clare Daly TD who asked him to confirm the size of the loan and the amount paid back to-date. The Sunday Business Post reported in 2015 that the amount handed over by the taxpayer-funded Irish Greyhound Board to the private company which operates the “loss-making greyhound track” in Clonmel was €250,000. The Irish Greyhound Owners and Breeders federation revealed this time last year that “Clonmel greyhound track is in serious trouble”.
ACTION ALERT
Say NO to the greyhound industry – don’t attend races or fund-raisers held at greyhound tracks (these are a significant source of funding for the greyhound industry). Distribute our “6 reasons to say NO to greyhound racing” leaflet outside greyhound tracks to encourage people to show compassion and boycott greyhound racing. You can download the leaflet at http://www.banbloodsports.com/ln170616.htm or order copies by emailing info@banbloodsports.com Encourage your local animal protection groups to join calls for an end to greyhound racing, given the cruelty and killing involved.
The cruel and crumbling greyhound industry has received nearly a quarter of a billion euros of taxpayers’ money since 2001 (including €16 million for 2018). Urge Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe to end funding to the greyhound industry and instead direct the money to charities and other deserving causes. Email “Stop funding the cruel greyhound industry” to taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie, paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie, minister@per.gov.ie
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar
Department of the Taoiseach,
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion St, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, leo.varadkar@oireachtas.ie
Tweet to: @campaignforLeo
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/campaignforleo/
Paschal Donohoe TD
Minister for Finance
Email: paschal.donohoe@oireachtas.ie, minister@per.gov.ie
Phone: +353 (0)1 6045810
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaschalDonohoe/
Tweet to @Paschald
Clare Daly TD: To ask the Minister for Agriculture; Food and the Marine the injuries sustained by a dog (details supplied) at the Clonmel track on 4 May 2018; and if the dog was euthanised by a vet at the track that day. (Details Supplied) Greyhound Darty Talk
REPLY
Agriculture Minister Michael Creed: Bord na gCon is a commercial State Body, established under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry.
Bord na gCon is a body corporate and a separate entity to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Bord na gCon has informed me that on the 4th May 2018 the greyhound ‘Darty Talk’ competed in the seventh race at Clonmel track. The report from the Bord na gCon Stipendiary Steward officiating that night, indicated the dog led for most of the race but collapsed and died approaching the winning line. The vet on duty confirmed a ‘heart attack’ as the cause of death.
Join our appeal to Limerick Strand Hotel to stop offering discounts for Limerick stadium – one of the worst greyhound tracks in Ireland for dog injuries and deaths.
Last year at Limerick stadium, 46 greyhounds suffered injuries and 19 were killed by a track vet. Over the past three years, 144 greyhounds were injured at the track and 44 were destroyed.
On the stag parties section of its website, Strand Hotel lists a “night at the dogs” as a “Limerick activity idea” and goes on to say that the hotel has “teamed up with local attractions to offer groups discounts at some of Irelands most visited attractions including Limerick Greyhound Track”. https://www.strandhotellimerick.ie/Stag_Parties.html
In a hotel brochure relating to hen parties, it also suggests “dog racing at Limerick’s new greyhound stadium” as a group activity.
We are encouraging hen and stag party groups to show compassion for the dogs and stay away from greyhound tracks where dogs can be seen falling, writhing in agony and crying out in pain.
ACTION ALERT
Urge Strand Hotel to consider the suffering and death in greyhound racing and stop recommending the local track.
Fianna Fail TD Sean Fleming (Laois) has called for an end to the export of Irish greyhounds to countries with poor animal welfare.
In a recent Dail Question, Deputy Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture “his views on ensuring that Ireland does not export greyhounds to countries in which the welfare standards are poor”.
Responding, Minister Michael Creed stated: “Bord na gCon has informed me that while it has no control of events outside the jurisdiction of Ireland and has no statutory function regarding the regulation of greyhound exports, it does however continue to advise owners involved in the export of greyhounds to only export to destinations that provide the expected levels of greyhound care and management as defined within Bord na gCon’s Code of Practice.”
This worthless “advice” is clearly being ignored, with ongoing revelations that Irish-born greyhounds are continuing to end up in China and Pakistan, where appalling animal cruelty occurs. Grotesque video footage from China, for example, shows
– a greyhound being thrown into a barrel of boiling water and cooked alive
– a greyhound being slammed into the ground after failing to win a race
– a greyhound attacked and decapitated by a butcher wielding a meat cleaver
It is time for the Irish Government to take animal welfare seriously and intervene to stop the exports.
ACTION ALERT
Contact Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Agriculture Minister Michael Creed and demand action to stop the export of Irish dogs to China, Pakistan and other countries with little or no animal welfare laws.
Thank Sean Fleming for pushing for an end to the exports to countries with poor animal welfare. Deputy Fleming has voted in favour of government funding for greyhound racing – urge him to show compassion for the dogs suffering and dying in Ireland and, at the next opportunity, vote against further grants to the cruel greyhound industry.
Sean Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on ensuring that Ireland does not export greyhounds to countries in which the welfare standards are poor; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael): The movement of all dogs between Member States is currently governed by European legislation. Under EU law, dogs moved to another EU country from Ireland must be accompanied by an EU pet passport, be microchipped, and have a valid rabies vaccination. Premises exporting dogs must be registered with my Department. Before travel, dogs must undergo a clinical examination by an authorised veterinarian, who must verify that the animals show no obvious signs of disease and are fit to be transported. Dogs must also have a health certificate issued by a Department veterinarian. Exporters must comply with EU law on the protection of animals during transport.
The position is that once animal health and welfare certification requirements, and the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No 1 of 2005 on the protection of animals during transport, are met, dogs, including greyhounds, may be moved within the EU or exported to a non-EU country.
The main destination for Irish dogs and greyhounds moved abroad continues to be the UK.
Bord na gCon has informed me that while it has no control of events outside the jurisdiction of Ireland and has no statutory function regarding the regulation of greyhound exports, it does however continue to advise owners involved in the export of greyhounds to only export to destinations that provide the expected levels of greyhound care and management as defined within Bord na gCon’s Code of Practice.
Enniscorthy Credit Union is holding a “Greyhound Race Night” this weekend at a local track where dogs suffer and die.
A notice on the Irish Greyhound Board website reveals that the race night is being organised by the credit union and that “free tickets are being distributed by the Enniscorthy Credit Union”.
Thumbs down to Enniscorthy Credit Union for supporting an industry which is inherently cruel, with greyhounds injured, doped, mutilated, dumped and killed.
This is not the first time that Enniscorthy Credit Union has supported greyhound racing. In previous years, it has sponsored several races at Enniscorthy track, with thousands of euros in prize money. These have included the “Enniscorthy Credit Union Staff A4 525” race in 2016 and the “Enniscorthy Credit Union Feature Race A2 575” in 2015.
Since 2015, 38 dogs have suffered injuries at Enniscorthy track and 15 were killed by a vet. Nationwide, more than a thousand greyhounds have suffered injuries, with 385 destroyed.
ACTION ALERT
Urge Enniscorthy Credit Union to show compassion for the dogs and stop sponsoring races and holding events at the track.
Enniscorthy Credit Union Limited,
Abbey Square,
Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
Tel: +353 (0)53 9233835
Email: info@enniscorthycu.ie, info@creditunion.ie
Leave a comment on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/enniscorthycu/
