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Fine Gael TDs' greyhound used in cruel coursing
22 March 2017
Agriculture Minister Michael Creed and Finance Minister Michael Noonan are owners of a greyhound used in the cruel bloodsport of hare coursing, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports can reveal.
As highlighted last year, Ministers Creed and Noonan were part of a 14-man syndicate of Fine Gael politicians who bought greyhound "Swift Starlet". It has emerged that the dog was not only used in greyhound racing but also in coursing.
Such was the exploitation of the dog that on one occasion, she was used for hare coursing in the afternoon and for greyhound racing later the same day. Information uncovered by ICABS reveals that Swift Starlet was entered into the "All Age Bitch Stake" at Gorey coursing meeting on Saturday 26th October 2013. Afterwards she was transported 190 km to race at Dundalk greyhound stadium. Records show that she finished in 4th position in the "Ghoulish & Ghastly A3 525", with winnings of €0.00.
The Irish Coursing Club website lists Swift Starlet as being owned by the Oir Syndicate - which, according to the Irish Examiner, is made up of 14 Fine Gael TDs including the current Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed and Finance Minister Michael Noonan. Among the other TDs in the syndicate are pro-coursing TDs Joe Carey (Clare), Brendan Griffin (Kerry) and then Environment Minister Phil Hogan as well as current Senator Jerry Buttimer who recently defended massive government subsidies to the greyhound industry.
The Irish Greyhound Board website shows that Swift Starlet was entered into 65 races between July 2012 and August 2014 and won 7. The total prize money is listed at €2,179. That's €1,321 less than the €3,500 paid by the politicians to purchase her.
The last record of Swift Starlet is at Mullingar greyhound track on 30th August 2014 where she came last. What happened to her next? Emails and tweets asking if she is alive or dead have been sent to Ministers Creed and Noonan, and to the other co-owners of the dog, but all have gone unanswered.
In the year that Finance Minister Noonan joined "The Oir" greyhound syndicate, €11.3 million was paid out by the government to the Irish Greyhound Board. In December 2016, Minister Noonan approved the latest grant of €16 million, bringing the total to around a quarter of a billion since 2001. Minister Creed continues to resist an end to the use of public money to prop up a dying industry with inherent cruelty, massive debts, declining sponsorship and falling attendance. Responding to calls for the funding to be scrapped, he has said: "the greyhound industry is part of the social fabric of our country...I have no plans to reduce funding of the sector."
ACTION ALERTS
Join us in asking Minister Creed, Minister Noonan and the other Fine Gael policians what happened to Swift Starlet.
Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
Minister for Finance
Email: michael.noonan@oireachtas.ie
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6764735
Michael Creed TD (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
Minister for Agriculture
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Email: michael.creed@oir.ie
Tel: +353 (0)1-607 2000 or LoCall 1890-200510.
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelcreedtd
Tweet to @creedcnw
Joe Carey TD (Clare, Fine Gael)
Email: joe.carey@oireachtas.ie
Tel: +353 (0)1-6183337
Tweet to @joecareytd
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Joe-Carey/199442566789462
Brendan Griffin TD (Kerry County, Fine Gael)
Email Brendan.Griffin@oireachtas.ie
Tel: +353 (0)1-6184480
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/brendan.griffin.5074
Tweet to @BGriffinTD
Senator Jerry Buttimer
Email: jerry.buttimer@oireachtas.ie
Tel: +353 (0)1 6183380
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jerry.buttimer.9
Tweet to @jerrybuttimer
Phil Hogan
European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development
Email: phil.hogan@ec.europa.eu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilHoganEU
Tweet to @PhilHoganEU
Please sign and share our petition
Irish Government: Stop Giving Millions of Euro to Cruel Greyhound Industry
https://www.change.org/p/irish-government-stop-giving-millions-of-euro-to-cruel-greyhound-industry
Given the ongoing fall in attendances at tracks, it is clear that the general public has little interest in greyhound racing. Tell the Irish Government to stop wasting precious funds on this dying industry. Email "Stop funding the dying greyhound industry" to taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie, michael.noonan@oireachtas.ie, michael.creed@oir.ie
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