Budget 27 has allocated €102m to the Irish horse racing and greyhound racing industries.
€81.6 million will go to Horse Racing Ireland, while Greyhound Racing Ireland will get €20.4 million.
This is a €2.9 million increase over last year’s allocation of €99.1 million.
The 2027 funding will bring to over two billion euros (€2,036,271,127) the amount channelled into these two gambling activities by the government since 2001.
Animal Welfare Response
Animal welfare organisations have reacted with fury to this annual funding of animal abuse.
They said that Finance Minister Simon Harris and Minister Martin Heydon, Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, along with their colleagues in government, have disregarded all the suffering and death in horse and greyhound racing. They are happy to continue squandering scarce public funds on greyhound racing, despite dwindling attendances at Ireland’s fifteen racing tracks.
According to Greyhound Racing Ireland, in 2025, 351,637 people attended greyhound racing, while 14,889 greyhound races were run.
A recent survey – carried out by Norstat on behalf of GREY2K USA Worldwide – showed that 70% oppose greyhound racing subsidies, while only 11% support them.
Budget 27 Funding
The Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, obliges the government to fund horse racing and greyhound racing.
Section 12 outlines the establishment of a funding mechanism ‘for the purpose of giving support to horse and greyhound racing.’
Under the Act, the ‘Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund’ was established to provide annual funding based an 80% equine/20% canine share out.
The fund is controlled by the relevant Minister in the Department of Agriculture.
The €102 million allocation to horse and greyhound racing will be voted on before the end of the year.
Animal welfare organisations have launched a campaign to ask their supporters and those who believe the taxpayers should not fund animal abuse to contact their local TDs to urge them to vote against the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund Regulations 2026.
The Horse and Greyhound Racing Act, 2001, Section 12
Total Allocated
€2,036,271,127/ (€2.03 Billion)
Horse Racing: €1,629,064,981/€1.62 Billion)
Greyhound Racing: €407,206,146/ (€407.2 Million)
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If you have a tip for an animal welfare issue, an animal news article, a press release, or just want to just reach out to us, we’d love to hear from you. John Tierney, Animal News Ireland/Editor
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