Greyhound slaughter scandal exposed by new figures

Greyhound racing in Ireland remains under renewed scrutiny after newly released figures showed that nearly two thirds of retired racing greyhounds born in 2021 and 2022 are already dead, despite many of the dogs being only a few years old.

The figures, obtained by advocacy group Greyhound Action Ireland (GAI) through Parliamentary Questions, show that 5,960 greyhounds from the 2021 and 2022 cohorts who had retired from racing had died by April 1 of this year.

According to data supplied by Greyhound Racing Ireland to the Minister for Agriculture, 57 per cent, or 3,300, of greyhounds born in 2021 who remain in Ireland and are no longer racing are dead.

The figures for dogs born in 2022 are even higher, with 2,660 retired greyhounds, representing 74 per cent of that cohort still in the country, also dead.

The oldest of the dogs would not yet have reached five and a half years of age, while the youngest would still be under three and a half. Greyhounds can typically live to around 14 years old.

The figures have prompted fresh criticism from campaigners who argue that little has changed in the industry since the 2019 RTÉ Investigates documentary Running for Their Lives exposed the large scale killing of racing greyhounds deemed no longer commercially viable.

That programme sparked widespread public outrage after revealing that thousands of otherwise healthy dogs were being euthanised each year because they failed to meet racing standards, animals described within the industry as “wastage”.

In response to the controversy, Greyhound Racing Ireland introduced a traceability system intended to track the welfare and whereabouts of racing dogs after retirement.

Campaigners now argue that the system has instead highlighted the scale of deaths within the industry.

Greyhound Action Ireland said the latest figures demonstrated that the culling of unwanted racing dogs was continuing at a similar rate.

“The Irish state is, essentially, sponsoring the killing of dogs on an industrial scale,” said Nuala Donlon, spokesperson for Greyhound Action Ireland.

“This would not be tolerated were it happening to any other breed of dog. It should not be tolerated in the case of greyhounds.”

The organisation is calling for State funding for the greyhound racing industry to be phased out over the next three to five years.

The issue is likely to intensify debate around public funding for the sport. Since the 2019 documentary aired, the greyhound racing industry has received more than €130 million in Exchequer funding.

Campaigners argue that the sector would struggle to survive without continued taxpayer support.

The figures also highlight deaths occurring during racing and trial events. According to the data cited by Greyhound Action Ireland, 400 dogs died on tracks during 2024 and 2025, while a further 17 dogs were killed during trial runs over the same period.

Animal welfare organisations have repeatedly called for tighter regulation of the industry, while defenders of greyhound racing have argued that welfare standards have improved significantly in recent years and that the sport supports jobs and rural economies.

However, the newly released statistics are likely to fuel renewed political and public pressure on the future of greyhound racing in Ireland.