| Majority in Ireland oppose racing subsidies
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Issue: 15/11/2024
A new survey has revealed that a majority of Irish voters are opposed to greyhound racing subsidies in Ireland.
According to the survey by Norstat, 70 per cent of voters are opposed to greyhound racing subsidies with 59 per cent saying they would be less likely to support a candidate who supports these payments,
The Irish Parliament, the Dáil, has approved €19.8 million in greyhound subsidies for Budget 2025, weeks before the General Election.
Only 27 per cent of voters believe greyhounds bred for racing have a good life with 35 per cent thinking that greyhound racing is good for the Irish economy.
When asked if the government should subsidise greyhound racing instead of funding public services such as healthcare, childcare and affordable housing only one per cent of respondents agreed.
Rural voters oppose greyhound racing subsidies by a margin of 67% to 12% and support phasing out greyhound racing by a margin of 49% to 27%.
Patrick Baga, Advocacy and Research Director of GREY2K USA Worldwide, said, “This is the first in-depth voter survey ever conducted on dog racing in Ireland, and confirms that greyhound racing no longer has the support of the public.
“This is an opportunity for candidates and political parties to be on the right side of an issue voters care about. The Irish electorate does not want an economy built on cruelty to dogs.”
Ireland has fifteen operational dog tracks. Figures provided by Greyhound Racing Ireland reveal that deaths at greyhound tracks increased by 60% in the first half of 2024, and that nearly 3,000 greyhounds born in 2021 are now dead or missing.
