On further research into the artificial insemination of Greyhounds it has come to light there has been a continued breach of the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations 2005.
The breach being the continued use of the semen of dead Greyhounds, such as the exampled Top Honcho. Regulation 11 of the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations 2005, ‘Eligibility for registration of a litter conceived in Ireland by artificial insemination’, sets out that:
A litter conceived in Ireland by means of artificial insemination will be eligible for registration in the Irish Greyhound Stud Book only if:
(e) the requirements of regulation 13 and regulation 14 have been complied with.
Regulation 14 ‘Death of a stud sire’, sets out that:
(3) ..At the end of the two year period, all unused frozen semen of a stud sire shall be destroyed by the manager of the approved centre in which it is stored.
(4) No greyhound or its progeny may be registered in the Irish Greyhound Stud Book which is the progeny of a conception which took place by means of artificial insemination after the sire had been dead for more than two years.
(6) No person may lawfully implement or be involved in the implementing of a frozen insemination procedure where the stud sire is known, or could on reasonable enquiry be known, to that person to be dead for more than two 2 years.
The Greyhound Top Honcho, sire to over 10,000 Greyhounds, died in 2007 but
Greyhounds were still being registered from the use of his frozen semen into 2013.
In a 2013 letter, in reference to Bord na gCon Artificial Insemination Regulations, Pat Herbert, Head of Regulation Irish Greyhound Board, stated in 2012 that ‘the Bord is considering extending the two year death limited to five years‘
Under the Greyhound Industry Act 1958 Regulation 39(1): The Board may, after consultation with the Club and with the consent of the Minister, make regulations controlling the practice of artificial insemination of greyhounds. But ‘this does not appear to have been done yet’.
[‘The Board’ being Bord na gCon(Irish Greyhound Board), ‘the Club’ being The Irish Coursing Club, and ‘the Minister being the Minister for the department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine]
Minuets of a meeting held in 2007, did not record any ‘representation made by or on behalf of the Bord….general consensus was to remove the[two year]limit from the[Artificial Insemination]Regulations….but no binding resolution, decision, or otherwise was taken‘
In 2008 a meeting was held between the Bord na gCon and the Irish Coursing Cub: the ‘Bord agree to remove the two year death limit…from the Regulation…..However the Minister[of Department of Agriculture, the Marine and Food]must approve the amendment prior to its enactment’
The period for the use of frozen semen may be varied, as Regulation 14 (7) sets out:
(7) The Board, having regard to the improvement and development of the greyhound industry in Ireland, and in the light of both national and international developments, and following consultation with the Club, may vary the Period for use of frozen semen of a dead stud sire as limited by this regulation 14. Notice of any such variation and the date of its effectiveness shall be given by advertisement published in “The Sporting Press”.
However the Bord failed to publish anything of amendments of the Artificial Insemination Regulations in the Sporting Press.
On 19th of June 2014, Simon Coveney(Minister, department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)answered a written parliamentary question, in relation to the breach: ‘My Department was informed by Bord na gCon in early 2013 that procedural issues had arisen in relation to the registration of greyhounds conceived following artificial insemination which were at variance with the provisions set down in the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations, 2005′ and that ‘The matters at issue are between Bord na gCon and the ICC.’
In summary:
- the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations 2005 was enacted in 2005
- in 2007 unofficial meetings were held to remove Regulation 14(in reference to destroying frozen semen of a stud sire two years after the stud sire had died).’but no binding resolution, decision, or otherwise was taken’
- in 2008 the Bord[Irish Greyhound Board], in a meeting with the Irish Coursing Club, ‘agree to remove the two year death limit…from the Regulation’. This needs to be approved by the Minister[of Department of Agriculture, the Marine and Food]
- in 2013 the Department of Agriculture, the Marine and Food was informed by the Bord that: ‘procedural issues had arisen in relation to the registration of greyhounds conceived following artificial insemination which were at variance with the provisions set down in the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations, 2005′
- in 2014 no Ministerial approval has been made – Regulation 14[Death of stud sire]of the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations 2005 still stands.
Just how many Greyhounds have been registered and used by the industry illegally?
Maybe more will soon come to light in the
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