Irish Greyhound Board welcomes Cabinet approval of Greyhound Racing Bill

 

 

The Irish Greyhound Board has welcomed the Cabinet approval of the Greyhound Industry Bill 2018, which will further improve governance and regulation in the greyhound industry.

 

The Bill includes greyhound welfare as one of the statutory functions of the IGB, along with the powers to make anti-doping regulations, as per recommendations made in the 2014 Indecon Report.

 

Chairman of the Irish Greyhound Board, Frank Nyhan, commented: “We welcome the Cabinet’s legislative commitment to the future of the greyhound sector. The successful enactment of the Bill will offer further opportunities to grow the industry and extend its appeal to a wider audience. The industry now has an opportunity to rebuild itself, underpinned by a modern legislative framework. I am delighted that Cabinet has given its approval to the text of the Bill.”

 

 

He added: “The IGB’s Strategic Plan 2018-22, launched earlier this year, targeted excellence in industry standards in the areas of welfare and regulation. Welfare of greyhounds continues to be the IGB’s number one priority. This legislative framework allows us to maintain the very positive welfare initiatives that are already in place, as well as implement further progressive measures to allay any public concerns that may exist on welfare within the industry. A raft of regulatory improvements introduced in the past two years, including a €400,000 state-of-the-art analytical system at the National Greyhound Laboratory in Limerick, demonstrates the IGB’s intent in the area of medication control. This Bill, when enacted, will add to existing legislation, making the greyhound the most regulated of all canine breeds.”

 

 

12,000 people across Ireland continue to gain economic benefit from the greyhound racing industry, according to a report published by economist Jim Power on the industry’s financial and economic significance last year.