Sharp increase in deaths of greyhounds at Irish racing tracks 'very concerning'

Some 96 greyhounds were either euthanised or died of a racing injury on Ireland’s 15 operational greyhound racing tracks between January and the end of June 2024. File picture

Deaths of racing greyhounds at Irish tracks increased by 60% over the six months of 2024, new figures reveal.

Some 96 greyhounds were either euthanised or died of a racing injury on Ireland’s 15 operational greyhound racing tracks between January and the end of June 2024.

This contrasts with 60 animals being either put down or dying of a track-inflicted injury during the same time period in 2023.

The figures were released to People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy via a parliamentary question.

Mr Murphy described the numbers as “very concerning” given the sharp increase in the number of deaths.

Both the greyhound and horseracing industries in Ireland receive many millions in taxpayer funding each year via the Horse and Greyhound Fund, which totalled €95m for 2024.

Queried as to the reasons for the increase in deaths, a spokesperson for industry body Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI) said the number of greyhounds starting at track meets during the relevant periods had increased from 44,575 to 48,410 from 2023 to 2024.

The spokesperson for GRI said while any increase in fatalities was “regrettable”, nevertheless “small fluctuations will occur from year to year”.

GRI’s own records show that while deaths decreased from 154 to 122 between 2021 and 2022, they increased to 134 in 2023.

Should deaths continue in 2024 at the same rate as during the first six months of the year, the final death toll could well exceed 180 for the 12 months.

This would be by some distance the highest number of fatalities recorded since those statistics were first compiled in 2014.

GRI’s spokesperson added “comprehensive track maintenance procedures are operated at GRI stadia to ensure that the best possible arrangements are provided for greyhound racing”.

Anti-greyhound racing body Greyhound Action Ireland, however, condemned the latest death figures and called for the public funding of greyhound racing to be abolished.

“The statistics issued by the greyhound board show that greyhound racing is becoming an even more deadly activity for racing greyhounds,” a spokesperson for the body said, adding “the public funding of greyhound racing is utterly shameful”.

That public funding is set to be reviewed externally in the near future after the Department of Agriculture commissioned a probe on the back of recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee.

The department said the review would consider whether or not the fund, which was first introduced in 2001, is being used to ensure “the highest levels of animal welfare standards”.

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The fund has repeatedly come in for criticism from animal welfare advocates, but more recently has also been criticised by other sporting bodies, including the FAI, which has complained the funding was disproportionate given no other sport benefits from such a guaranteed, ringfenced source of Government funding on an annual basis.

Following his parliamentary question, Mr Murphy said the €20m in annual funding that greyhound racing receives is a "disgrace".