Greyhound racing is not a sport, says Sports Minister Thomas Byrne

Concerns have repeatedly been raised about animal welfare in horse and greyhound racing, with a series of animal cruelty scandals coming to light in recent years.

The annual State funding towards greyhound and horse racing has now risen to €99.1m. This is the highest level of funding the industry has received in 23 years. File picture: Jim Coughlan

Greyhound racing is not a sport but a "traditional industry" that is currently less popular than it once was, Sports Minister Thomas Byrne has said.

Mr Byrne was responding to questions about a €4.1m increase in the horse and greyhound fund as part of Budget 2025, and if that was taking funding from other sports.