Almost 8,500 racing greyhounds died in four year period

Detailed summary

Two thirds of racing greyhounds born between 2021 and 2024 have died, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

Two thirds of racing greyhounds born between 2021 and 2024 have died, an Oireachtas committee has heard.

The body responsible for control and regulation of the greyhound industry told the Public Accounts Committee that 8,414 of the 12,766 dogs born over the four year period have since been reported dead on its traceability system.

Rásaíocht Con Éireann appeared before the committee to answer questions on greyhound welfare and the €20 million State funding it receives.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy asked how the organisation could claim to prioritise welfare when "dogs are dying at a high rate and so young".

He said thousands of dogs were being killed every year because they were not fast enough.

Rásaíocht Con Éireann CEO Tim Lucey said he was absolutely satisfied that its welfare programme for active racing greyhounds was "absolutely beyond reproach".

He said the assertion that dogs were killed "because they were not fast enough" was an interpretation that he could not agree with.

Mr Lucey said dogs were "put to sleep", but he could not explain why as the traceability system does not capture the reasons for the deaths.

Mr Murphy described the phrase "put to sleep" as a euphemism to cover up what was happening and he said that the majority of the deceased dogs were killed by humans.

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