Almost two-thirds of former racing greyhounds born four to five years ago now dead

Greyhound racing receives just under €20m in taxpayer funding on average from the exchequer annually via the €100m Horse and Greyhound Fund. File picture: INPHO/Nick Elliott

Almost two-thirds of racing greyhounds born in Ireland in 2021 and 2022 who have left the circuit are dead, with just under 6,000 fatalities recorded by industry body Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI).

New figures show that some 5,960 animals born in 2021 and 2022 have now been recorded as deceased, or 63% of the animals noted as no longer actively racing and not subject to export.