Minister expects greyhound racing body to lead ‘independent’ review of sector

Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has said he will let the body responsible for Irish greyhound racing take the lead on an objective cost-benefit analysis of the sector.

He made the decision despite the publication of a hard-hitting report calling for an independent detailed examination of the economic and financial impacts of Rásaíocht Con Éireann (RCÉ), or Greyhound Racing Ireland.

The Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), which issued the report, questioned the State’s continued funding of RCÉ after it emerged the €20 million State subsidy made up half its income in 2024.

The PBO is an independent Oireachtas unit that provides fiscal, economic and budgetary advice to TDs and senators.

Its report also found that attendance at race meetings had fallen sharply in the past decade from an average of 388 to 235.

[ Profound waste of taxpayers’ money on greyhound racing has been laid bareOpens in new window ]

It noted the high percentage of retired greyhounds exported (and no longer traceable), as well as the high mortality rate between three and five years of age. Greyhounds have a life expectancy of between 10 and 14 years.

The office called for an independently commissioned and objective cost-benefit analysis to be undertaken.

However, the Minister said “RCÉ is the statutory body responsible for the oversight and development of the sector and I expect it to take the lead in addressing the need for an updated assessment of the sector’s economic contribution”.

He added that the board is “currently considering how best to give effect to that recommendation”.

Heydon stressed the greyhound industry is not unusual in requiring Government support to remain viable, saying: “There are many instances where the State provides interventions and supports.”

He cited Horse Sport Ireland “and the challenges it is going through right now in respect of showjumping, dressage and three-day eventing”.

The Minister continued: “We all get very excited when Irish athletes compete in those sports at the Olympic Games. Horse Sport Ireland, like RCÉ, is in a position of being dependent on State funding and we see the viability challenges it faces.”

Speaking this week in the Seanad, Heydon said the Government supports RCÉ “for very good reasons”.

He was responding to Sinn Féin Senator Chris Andrews, who said a “blank cheque does not make sense” if accountability and efficiency are a priority. A formal spending review of funding for the greyhound racing industry has never been carried out, which he found “extraordinary”.

Unconditional funding for the industry “undermines efforts to improve transparency and welfare standards or value for money in the industry”, he said.

Andrews added that RCÉ’s animal welfare record “is lamentable and shocking, as shown by the number of greyhounds killed every single year”.

RCÉ told the Public Accounts Committee this week that two thirds, or 8,414, of the 12,766 dogs born between 2021 and 2024 have been reported dead on its traceability system. Despite this, RCÉ chief executive Tim Lucey insisted its welfare programme for racing greyhounds was beyond reproach.

The Minister said in the Seanad the State’s funding includes financial support to the Irish Retired Greyhound Trust, while funding also goes to a programme for the rehoming of greyhounds.

“RCÉ allocated €4.2 million in 2025 towards traceability, care and welfare matters. A total of 2,636 welfare inspections were conducted in 2025 and up to the end of October, 67,611 greyhounds were subject to traceability checks. These are important activities that necessitate Government funding.”

Heydon added the sector “is very important to a lot of people across rural Ireland”. He said: “The Government has been very clear in its support for the sector, as set out in the Programme for Government.”