The Irish Greyhound Board “simply cannot be trusted” to find those responsible for the disposal of greyhound remains in a Kildare bog, and the government must step in on this, Greyhound Action Ireland (GAI) has said.

The statement comes after post mortems carried out on the remains of seven greyhounds, which were discovered last summer, showed that the dogs likely suffered “traumatic injuries”.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue confirmed this in the Dáil in response to a parliamentary question from Deputy Paul Murphy.

“It was not possible to determine when these animals had died but traumatic injury, evident in six of the dogs, was the most probable cause of death,” he said.

GAI stated that this “highlights the brutality of the greyhound racing industry”, and said dogs who cannot run fast enough “are commonly referred to as wastage” by those in the industry.

Tests carried out by various bodies have not been able to identify those responsible for the disposal of the dogs and the charity has said that it is time for the Green Party to step in and ensure this is done.

“The Green Party [must] use its position at the Cabinet table to ensure an independent body is tasked with the responsibility of finding the owners.

“And, that when they are found, they are subjected to the full rigours of the law,” it added.

It must be the Green Party that takes action on the issue rather than the other coalition partners as they are affiliated with the industry in numerous ways, according to GAI.

“There is no point appealing to Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael to do anything to stop this madness.

“Both parties have close and long-term ties with the greyhound racing industry. Several current and former TDs from both parties are greyhound owners and racers,” it added.

Greyhound remains

The skulls, bones and skeletons of seven animals were discovered by a member of the public in Roseberry bog in Newbridge, Co. Kildare last summer, just 2km from the Newbridge Greyhound Stadium.

Image: Irish Council Against Blood Sports

In a statement after the discovery, the Irish Council Against Blood Sports (ICAB) stated that this was not the first discovery of greyhound remains in the countryside.

Tests were carried out by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in Celbridge, Co. Kildare before further analysis was done at the request of Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI).

However, neither body, or the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB), has been successful in identifying the person responsible.

GAI added that the IBG “presides over an activity with an appalling” animal welfare record, as figures show that 1,060 dogs have died while running on Irish racetracks since 2015.

In that period, 2,928 have been injured, and industry-commissioned reports have shown that thousands more that do not make it to the racetrack go unaccounted for every year.

“This organisation simply cannot be trusted to track down those responsible for the gruesome deaths of the dogs in Kildare,” concluded the charity.