According to the Sinn Fein website in December 2017 they want to cut horse racing and greyhound budget. They have voted against the horse racing and greyhound budget in 2019.
The spokesperson for Sinn Fein on Agriculture, Marine and Food, Martin Kenny TD, expressed the concern of public money been given to the horse and greyhound industry.
He classed the horse and greyhound racing industry as “a club of very rich people”. Personally, I don’t think he is correct. Not all people in industry are rich. He said, “There are very many people who feel that the amount of public money, 80 million euro, being put into the horse and greyhound racing industry mainly benefits a sector of society which is really a club of very rich people”.
Furthermore, Kenny also stated that the industry is “long past investment for development and growth. He said “I do understand how some industries and sectors need to get investment in order to stimulate their development and growth, however this sector is long past that stage”. In addition he stated that all money that is given to horse racing goes towards prize money for races. He said that most of this then goes to the more well off or the elite sector.
Kenny stated that Sinn Fein would not support the use of public money in horse racing and greyhounds due to the lack of governance in the Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and the Greyhound Board. It stated “Sinn Féin does not support the amount of money being placed in the horse and greyhound racing industry, in the context of what is continuing to go on.”
With the election set to get underway these remarks will certainly not go down well with horse racing and greyhound people. In fact, if you want to see the current odds of the election you can find it here.
