Urge AIB not to write-down €21 million greyhound industry debt
25 April 2017

Allied Irish Bank is being urged not to consider writing down a €21 million greyhound industry debt. In response to a Dail question, the Minister for Agriculture said he was advised that "there has been no write down of debt by the bank" but that the Irish Greyhound Board has recently entered discussions with AIB. The nature of these discussions is currently unclear.

As reported in the Limerick Leader last month, the massive loan was "agreed with AIB on June 24, 2009" and it "financed the construction of [Limerick Greyhound] stadium".

Agriculture Minister Michael Creed (Fine Gael, Cork North West) was quoted in the report as saying that "these facilities involved granting security to Allied Irish Bank over assets held at Waterford, Limerick and Shelbourne Park in Dublin."

Last June, an AIB branch in County Kerry sponsored an event at Tralee greyhound track. According to the Irish Greyhound Board website, Race 2 on 18th June was the "AIB Listowel and Listowel M.A. Fine Gael Councillors 525".

 ACTION ALERT 

Complain to Allied Irish Bank about its loan to the cruel greyhound industry in which dogs are injured, mutilated, killed and abandoned. Urge the bank not to consider writing down the €21 million debt. If you are an AIB customer, make this clear in your correspondence.

Mr Bernard Byrne, CEO
AIB Head Office
Tel: +353 (0)1 6600 311
Email: bernard.byrne@aib.ie
Tweet to @AskAIB
Comment on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/askaib

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.

Michael Noonan
Minister for Finance
Email: michael.noonan@oireachtas.ie
(CC: Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed, Minister of State Andrew Doyle)
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6764735

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny
Department of the Taoiseach,
Government Buildings,
Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2
Telephone: +353 (0)1-6194020
Email: taoiseach@taoiseach.gov.ie
Tweet to @EndaKennyTD

Michael Creed TD
Minister for Agriculture
Department of Agriculture
Agriculture House,
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.
Email: michael.creed@oir.ie
Tel: +353 (0)1-607 2000 or LoCall 1890-200510.
Fax: +353 (0)1-661 1013.
Leave a comment on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelcreedtd
Tweet to @creedcnw

Andrew Doyle TD
Minister of State, Dept of Agriculture
Email: andrew.doyle@oireachtas.ie
Tweet to @ADoyleTD

Question 488 - Answered on 28 March 2017

Alan Kelly TD (Tipperary, Labour Party)

To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if a bank (details supplied) agreed a write-down on the Irish Greyhound Board’s debt.

Michael Creed (Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Bord na gCon is a commercial State body, established in 1958, under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly to control greyhound racing and to improve and develop the greyhound industry.

The matter raised by the Deputy is an operational question for Bord na gCon.

Bord na gCon has informed me that it has paid down some €2m in bank debt between 2015 and 2016. I understand that circa €1.3m of this total was completed from operational cash flows while the remainder was achieved through the disposal of their former Head Office located on Henry Street Limerick.

I am advised that there has been no write down of debt by the bank. However the Board has recently entered discussions with AIB in respect of the remaining debt due.

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