Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 1992 > Committee on Commercial State-Sponsored Bodies (6th Committee) > Report No. 05 - Bord Na gCON

APPENDIX I: THE IRISH GREYHOUND BREEDING INDUSTRY

Structure of the Breeding Industry

I.1Greyhound breeding and rearing is carried out throughout the whole of Ireland, but the largest concentration is in the south and south west. Cork, Limerick and Tipperary account for 35% of all greyhound litters and these counties are also the heartland of coursing with thirty-eight out of the country’s ninety-five coursing clubs. Bord na gCon estimates that three quarters of the 8,000 or so participants in the industry are small farmers who carry out breeding as an adjunct to general farming. These tend to breed, train and race their own greyhounds. Thus, unlike the thoroughbred horse industry, there is not a marked distinction between breeders and owners. This also contrasts with the situation in the UK, where there are many independent owners devoted exclusively to racing greyhounds.

I.2The involvement of many thousands of individuals with traditional skills in the different phases of the sport is an important strength of the industry. However, there are problems: small scale breeding may mean that inadequate attention is being given to the long term development of Irish bloodlines. Likewise problems caused by disease, infertility and lack of information remain unaddressed. Similarly, the absence of strong independent owners means that there are few people committed to racing per se: most are primarily interested in breeding dogs for export. This weakens the quality of Irish greyhound racing and may be a direct contribution to the problems now confronting Bord na gCon.

Greyhound Breeding and Rearing

I.3Greyhounds are born in litters of about five puppies per litter. According to the Irish Coursing Club, which regulates breeding and keeps the Irish Greyhound Studbook, 4,844 litters were registered in 1990. This is the highest number in over twenty years. (See Fig. I.1, page 76). About six to eight weeks after birth, greyhounds have to be “ear-marked” by the ICC to reduce the possibilities for substitution. The total ear-marked in 1990 was 21,578. At the age of about twelve months puppies - or “saplings” as they are generally called at this age - must be “named”. This involves inspection by an ICC steward and the filling in of an identity card listing the sapling’s distinguishing characteristics and its name.

I.4After the naming stage, and up to fifteen months at least, the sapling is gradually accustomed to the procedures, equipment and format of a greyhound race track. This is carried out on unlicensed “schooling” tracks. Before being accepted for racing, the trained greyhound has to complete at least two “trial” races on a licensed track in which it must return a certain minimum time. That being done, the greyhound is ready to race. This takes place sometime between fifteen and eighteen months, depending on the size and sex of the dog. In the early stages of its career a greyhound will probably be raced on smaller provincial tracks while it develops to its full potential. The owner may then enter it for the more important races at the larger tracks. In total, a greyhound is raced for about 20 months at the end of which time he or she will be put out to stud or put down.

I.5Statistics collected by the CSO show that in 1990 19,932 dogs were exported. This is approximately 50% of the 1989 age cohort although the average for the past five years is 45% (See Fig. I.1, page 76). Allowing for the victims of illness and injury during schooling and racing, it would seem that usually about 35% of the age cohort, or about 7,000 dogs, remain in racing in Ireland. Given that a dog’s racing life is about 20 months, it follows that there is a stock of about 12,000 dogs potentially available for racing at any one time.

Sales

I.6Dogs can change hands at any time. Most breeders sell a puppy from each litter at the age of eight to twelve weeks, retaining the rest for training and racing. It is thought that 90% are sold after completing their first few races. Some are sold at Bord na gCon’s official auctions. But these auctions tend to be of dogs of moderate quality. The best dogs tend to be sold by private treaty to agents acting for foreign, mainly UK, buyers.

I.7Historically, and at the present time, the vast majority of Irish greyhound exports have been to the UK. Tradition, proximity, similar disease status, breeding and the similarity of racing between the two countries makes it inevitable that the UK market will always be important. However, its importance waxes and wanes with the performance of the UK economy and the success of the UK tracks in marketing the sport to the public. In recent years there has been a strong surge in demand from the UK market and the number of Irish greyhounds being exported there has risen from 4,524 in 1980 to 7,825 in 1990.

I.8Other markets have been explored by Bord na gCon from time to time but only the US is of any consequence and this is a long way behind the UK. (See Table I.1, page 75). There is a very large greyhound racing industry in the US so that in principle at least, the potential for Irish exports ought to be large. However, the cost of transport is an important deterrent. In addition, the equipment of US tracks and the format of US races is different from that in Ireland. Thus to compete effectively, Irish dogs have to go through an extensive acclimatising process which is a further deterrent. Indeed, since US races are appreciably longer than those in Ireland it is possible that a different breeding policy might have to be introduced if the US market is to be fully exploited.

Value of Greyhound Production

I.9It is difficult to translate figures on breeding and exports into economic terms. A major problem is that the statistics on the value of exports of greyhounds tend to be understated. However, according to independent research carried out for Bord na gCon, the true value is around £20 million or more than seven times the figures reported by the CSO. According to the Bord’s estimates, the total value of all greyhound sales, and therefore the financial return to breeders, is around £40 million.

I.10There are two other sources of financial returns to breeders. The first is receipts from prize money which amounted to £2.1 million in 1991. Even given that some owners will gladly race their dogs for the pleasure of it, the large difference between receipts from prize money and receipts from sales (i.e. mainly exports) indicates the relative importance to the Irish industry of breeding for export, as opposed to breeding for racing. This reinforces the point made in paragraph I.2 about the effects on the quality of Irish racing of the export ethos of Irish breeding. However, naturally enough, this has not stopped breeders from pressurising Bord na gCon to increase its allocations of prize money.

I.11The second “supplementary” source of financial return to breeders is from betting. The total amount wagered in on-course bookmaking at greyhound races was £27.9 million in 1991. With the decline in attendances at greyhound meetings in recent years, it seems, according to market research carried out for the Bord, that “the total population attending greyhound racing is now estimated at 40,000 individuals. This is close to the actual industry ‘members’ and friends estimated to be 30,000.”. Thus, an important characteristic of greyhound racing is that the bookmakers are competing with punters who on average are extremely well informed. That having been said, it is hard to see how owners and breeders as a group can generate additional returns through betting. However, their knowledge may be enough to depress bookmakers’ margins and this may be a factor behind the poor service which, it is claimed, bookmakers are providing at greyhound tracks. In turn, the poor quality of the betting available is a deterrent to larger attendances.

Numbers Employed

I.12The numbers of people employed in the industry is not known for certain. Membership of the Irish Greyhound Breeders and Owners Federation amounts to 7,300 and the Federation estimates that about 5,000 are actually engaged in breeding. However, the membership of the Federation does not comprise everyone in the industry. In fact, as noted in paragraph I.1, the survey carried out by Bord na gCon estimates that there are about 8,000 people involved in the industry as breeders, owners and trainers. Counting those employed at racing tracks and involved in supplying ancillary services, Bord na gCon estimates that there are about 10,000 people who derive their livelihoods, directly or indirectly, from the industry.

Summary

I.13There are 10,000 or so people directly and indirectly engaged in greyhound breeding, training and racing in Ireland. They produce about 20,000 dogs a year of which, in the past five years, on average slightly less than half are exported. Total receipts from the sale of dogs is about £40 million of which half comes from exports, mainly to the UK. Other receipts to breeders include prize money which is about £2.1 million and the net proceeds from bookmaker betting which is also likely to be small, if not negative. As a consequence, the industry is heavily oriented to breeding for export and this may detract from the quality of Irish racing in that the best dogs tend to be exported. In any one year about 12,000 dogs are being raced at the 16,000 or so races held each year in Ireland.

Table I.1: EXPORTS OF GREYHOUNDS FROM IRELAND 1985-90

Source: Central Statistics Office