The Irish Council Against Blood Sports commends RTE Investigates for uncovering the dark side of horseracing, whereby thousands of ex racing horses are routinely slaughtered in this country, with many more transported abroad for slaughter. Thousands of horses surplus to requirements or no longer winning races are discarded like rubbish by callous owners.
The hellish scenes shown in Ireland’s only slaughterhouse at Straffan in Co. Kildare were beyond horrific, with secretly filmed footage showing incidents of savage cruelty inflicted on defenceless, terrified horses by brutes wielding plastic pipes, and also one individual cruelly prodding a dying horse with a pitchfork, while another horse was kicked as it lay dying. The video footage showed horses on the premises in terrible condition, some lame and clearly suffering.
Horses suffer from whipping by jockeys during racing also, a criminal offence, yet it is done with impunity and a blind eye is turned. In any other circumstances, whipping an animal would constitute a breach of animal welfare legislation.
And what of the horses injured and killed at racecourses? According to the Dept of Agriculture, 111 horses were killed during racing in 2023, 107 in 2022 and 113 in 2021, while 25 horses have been reported killed up to the end of last month.
It is a complete travesty that the government sees fit to subsidise this abusive industry that sees thousands of innocent victims ending up in slaughterhouses, whipped by jockeys, injured and killed during racing, and all to line the pockets of wealthy owners and trainers, not to mention the betting companies enriched at the expense of those addicted to gambling, which also ruins lives.
Aideen Yourell, Campaign Director
Irish Council Against Blood Sports
Ban Bloodsports 
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