Chamber and committees

I have been itching to get in, because there is something that we have not emphasised in our interrogation. Evidence from the Dogs Trust shows that 85 per cent of greyhounds are

“typically born and raised to a year old in the Republic of Ireland”.

Obviously, UK and Scottish legislation pertains in this jurisdiction, unless there is an arrangement with the Republic of Ireland. However, our committee papers state that, under the Irish legislation,

“A person is permitted to allow a bitch to produce 6 litters, a maximum of 2 extra is allowed with permission. Greyhound Breeding Establishments are kept on a register by the Irish Coursing Club ... and all litters must be registered. However, it states there is no independent verification of the number born in a litter, and there is little available information about levels of enforcement or monitoring.”

The Irish Council Against Blood Sports states:

“Greyhound racing is inherently cruel, based as it is on”—

I emphasise this point—

“over-breeding greyhounds, choosing the fastest and getting rid of those who don’t make the grade. Many of those too slow to win races are mercilessly killed. Most greyhounds used in the UK are bred in the Republic of Ireland.”

We have focused, quite rightly, on the track and the conditions that the dogs live in at home, but let us go right back to the beginning and consider the condition that the pups are in when they are imported. I would like the witnesses to comment on that, because we are digging deeper into the issue of the welfare of the animals. It might be appropriate to contrast the situation with greyhounds with that of horses. I do not know whether we are able to track the breeding of horses that come over from Ireland and do a comparison; that might not be relevant. In any case, I would like you to comment on what I have said, because I did not appreciate that about 80 per cent of the dogs that are raced in the UK come from Ireland.

Does the RSPCA have contact with its equivalent in the Republic of Ireland?

Thank you very much. I will plug my proposed welfare of dogs bill, which I will introduce in June. It would help to prevent some of that.

What are those? I do not know what the basic standards are.

Do you liaise with the Irish equivalents of the SSPCA and RSPCA on the issue?

Mr Brignal, you said in your opening statement that you are responsible for the welfare of the dogs only at the track. Is that correct?

There is another little issue—the phrase “prime condition”. You have stated that you say to owners that, if a dog is not in a fit state, you will not let the dog run. No vet is there to assess that. Can you tell me why you should be able to say, without a vet—and it might not be too obvious in certain animals—that they are not fit to be there?

Convener, could we do a follow-up and see whether there is an audit of what happens at the end of the day, what follow-up there was from Borders Union and from Borders College, which also had a stall there? It seems to me that that is an interesting thing for local employment. You employ people locally, they spend locally.

No, it is not. Please do it. I am a consumer and I want this to happen. Normally, I can afford to pay inflation prices but, when I look at the prices on the shelves at the moment, even I say that I am not paying £1.50 for a cauliflower.

Thank you, convener. With a belt-and-braces approach, I note that I am convener of the cross-party group on animal welfare.