Update from ‘No Irish Greyhounds to Spain’ facebook page.
On October 26th 2013, the Spanish were back at the Greyhound Sales in Thurles, Ireland, with talk of opening new tracks in Spain. They bought approximately 20 greyhounds, mostly females, that day via an agent, Michael Pomfret. These greyhounds were kept in kennels in Tipperary for 3 weeks and then transported to Spain by Ian Waterworth on Saturday 16th November, 2013. Barry Coleman, IGB welfare officer, told us the greyhounds were going to Spain to ‘continue their racing careers’.
In Spain, greyhounds are raced on straight tracks as a hobby. There are no operational oval tracks. However, both Pablo Perez, one of the Spanish buyers, and Michael Pomfret, the agent, both said on Greyhound Data that there are plans to open new tracks. This is being investigated, and Spanish advocates for sighthounds will take action if this is true, as will we.
The last Spanish racing stadium in Barcelona closed down due to financial problems in 2006. The ISPCA and RSPCA visited this track in 1997 and found that 900 greyhounds were kept there, living in cramped cages, many covered in fleas, with pus in their eyes. As no betting was allowed, owners were paid a fee merely for racing their greyhounds, who often raced with injuries, stumbling around the track to a cheering crowd.
Michael Pomfret said on Greyhound Data that some greyhounds are kept as pets or for breeding once they finish racing in Spain. We believe that every greyhound deserves to be kept as a cherished pet in their retirement, and we are concerned about the ones who will be used for breeding. We are also extremely worried about the greyhounds who will not be kept by their owners. What will happen to them?
Spain has a massive sighthound problem, with many dogs being killed, abandoned or dumped in perreras. It has been estimated that 50,000 hunting dogs are disposed of in Spain every year. Spanish rescue organizations work hard to help as many of these dogs as they can, but inevitably they cannot save them all. The last thing they need is more sighthounds being imported, bred from and disposed of.
In a statement in the Dail in November 2013, Phil Meaney, Chairman of the IGB, made it clear that the IGB encourages the exportation of greyhounds:
“The industry has a very high reputation internationally. This is reflected in the level of interest in the Irish Greyhound Racing product and operating model from the world’s largest betting organisations and from countries where the industry is new and in its early stages. The Irish industry has an acknowledged preeminence for greyhound breeding and for the quality and regulation of its racing. This reputation creates many opportunities that have significant economic benefit. These range from the internationalisation of the Irish racing product to increased dog exports and collaborative trading arrangements with greyhound industries in other countries…… Bord na gCon’s 5 year strategic plan contains areas of potential growth that will further strengthen the industry’s reputation internationally and aims to significantly improve its financial position. In essence, our 5 year strategy is focused on the protection and maintenance of the Irish greyhound as a work leader and on the development of new income streams from off stadia betting and from the globalisation of the Irish racing product, which has already started to generate dividends…… We have to look at new ways to use our assets to achieve greater financial return and capitalise on the opportunities that exist.”
Barry Coleman, IGB welfare officer, told us that once greyhounds have left Ireland, they are no longer the responsibility of the IGB. So, the IGB are encouraging breeders/trainers/owners to sell their dogs abroad and washing their hands of all responsibility.
We are calling on Minister Simon Coveney, Irish Department of Agriculture, and the IGB to do everything in their power to stop Irish greyhounds being exported to carry on their ‘racing careers’ in a country with welfare standards that do not meet those set out in the Welfare of Greyhounds Act 2011. We are asking the IGB to take action to reduce rather than increase sales of dogs abroad. We are asking Irish greyhound breeders/trainers/owners not to sell their greyhounds to Spanish buyers. We are also asking rescue groups and those within the racing industry who are opposed to the exportation of greyhounds to Spain to boycott those who are profiting from this situation, be they breeders, trainers, transporters or vets.’
Can you believe it – the Irish Greyhound Racing product – it’s a dog, a living creature, a sentient being…!!!
Comments
11 responses to “No Irish Greyhounds to Spain – 20 females sent there already!!”
20 greys already gone the damage is done as far as i am concerned breeding will commence and go on and on dogs injured unfit to race then what pff sad state of affairs i will be thinking of them always to save these lost souls the rescues or a action groupe need to keep close eye on these greyhounds how many injured how many born its the only way these dogs have any hope of a decent life just wish i was closer to help out
This makes me sick, these people have no morals, no decency, nothing. The individuals who nake money from the suffering of the greyhounds are simply rotten. Oh great, lots of interest from countries where greyhound racing is new, like China, so the dogs can lead a miserable short life and then be cruelly killed. A country with no animal welfare laws, where certain parts of the country think it is A OK to beat a dog to death and eat it. Yes lets transport them to Spain, a country which has a massive problem already with cruelty and abadonment of sighthounds. What really great, decent people work for the IGB. All they are bothered about is money, not about the welfare of the dogs. This is clearly demonstrated by calling them “a product”. I only wish the phrase “what goes around comes around” is true in this case and their lives turn out to be as rotten as the dogs that they have allowed to be abused and abandoned to their fate.
Dit is een klap in het gezicht van alle Windhond liefhebbers .
In vredesnaam de geschiedenis herhaald zichzelf .
Onuitstaanbaar zijn de verkopers van deze schitterende teefjes ,walgelijk om de Greyhounds naar de hel in Spanje te brengen om een ondraaglijk leven te moeten lijden.
Een dier van vlees en bloed ,om de mens zijn gok-lust geld-honger te bevredigen.
De Greyhounds uitgeknepen tot aan het bot.
Misselijk makende trainers Galguero`s hunters people work in the perreas kids who terrorise abanded Galgo`s and there puppy`s parents who teach there kid`s to do evil .
NOT 1 GREYHOUND TO SPAIN THEY WILL DIE EARLY IN BAD CONDITION ..
How can we effectively protest this tragedy? I’ve signed a petition. I would like to send a letter to the IGB, the British press, the RSPCA. Our late PeTunya was rescued by Scooby when the Barcelona track closed in 2006 and her body was a testament to the abuse and hard life she had. She was emotionally scarred as well. Let’s unleash a tsunami of protest against the IGB.
Totally with you there Judy. It is a letter writing weekend for me. I love your phrase “a tsunami of protest”. That’s exactly what we need to do. Please keep us updated Beryl and any advice on what we should do and who we should write to, gratefully received. I have already sent my objections to the IGB and Irish Minister but will also write to my MEP and the RSPCA. It is awful that PeTunya suffered like that and am glad she found her way to you.
I’ve signed the petition and emailed the 2 twits in Irish government whose email addresses were given and got a Read on both, so at last they got the email… Will they ever respond? I doubt it… Money speaks very loud for some souless people… Some would gladly sell their own mother if they could… the suffering of a dog means nothing to them. But we MUST keep trying. At least a good public outcry may stop them.
Danielle, I know this is no laughing matter but I couldn’t help but laugh at your “two twits” comment. Polite, I have to say! I think you have summed up what those of us with a soul and heart cannot comprehend, they have neither. You are right in that they would do anything to make a profit and they do not care one bit about the dogs, they are just commodities. You are right in that we must not give up, we must protest. Please can we try our best and join together in trying to stop them.
The Irish greyhound sellers and their board are telling here something about a “significant economic benefit” and profits and a “successful product”.
But how successful (=profitable) is the greyhound industry really?
Well as far as I know the greyhound industry exists because it is subsidized with EU money.
That means if the EU would turn off the money tap, the whole so called “industry” would dry off.
An article on the topic:
http://greyhound-data.com/knowledge.php?b=4¬e=740447
a citation from the above article:
“In 2010 the Irish Greyhound Board received €11.86 million from the fund and is expected to receive €11.46 million (Euros) this year (2011).”
So this “big & profitable business” is going on from our tax Euros.
Hopefully not much longer due to the continuing economical crisis.
The main action group is on facebook. Ill try and get some more info from their page but have a busy weekend away from the computer (involved in a theatre production) so if anyone else can post some more links in the meantime, Ill be very grateful.
just letting everyone know helena of badajoz got bk to me saying so many galgos coming in the reason they cant do residency cause there is so many and the cost for them is huge could be 5 a day 7 days a week 35 each dog lot of money to pay they cant do it on their own there as been them saved in previous pic by charl bless her and another 3 reserved by someone else aly is looking to reserve whan she gets back from the uk aswell bless her
Absolutely disgusting, we all know what will happen to these poor dogs. Spainish rescues have enough to deal with, I volunteer for a greyhound charity in the u.k and we see nothing compared with Spain. How people can do this to these wonderful creatures is beyond me! Keep up the good work Spanish rescues I wish I could do more to help you. And shame on the Irish for allowing these dogs to be sent to Spain…..you must know the outcome for them and thousands more.