Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 July 2026
53. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the amount of State funding provided to hare coursing; if his Department has estimates on the revenue generated by hare coursing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52312/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraCoursing is regulated under the Greyhound Industry Act, 1958, chiefly by the Irish Coursing Club (ICC), subject to the general control and direction of Rásaíocht Con Éireann. Hare coursing is managed and regulated by the Irish Coursing Club. The organisation consists of 89 affiliated clubs from Ireland and Northern Ireland, all of whom are governed by the ICC’s rules and regulations.
No funding is provided to the Irish Coursing Club by Government.
The ICC has provided my Department with an independent report that it commissioned in 2022 by Jim Power Economics entitled The Economic and Financial Contribution of the Coursing Sector. The report estimated that the coursing sector contributes approximately €70.7 million annually to the Irish economy.
