13/08/25
Update 24/11/25 – The Irish Government has finally announced the outcome of the public consultation and 99% of respondents support a ban. However, there has still been no announcement about when or whether this will happen.
Over a year after consulting the public – and with overwhelming support for a ban – the Irish Government is still allowing surgical artificial insemination in greyhound breeding loophole.
Last year, the Irish Government consulted the public about proposals to ban surgical artificial insemination in greyhounds. Concerningly, although the practice is banned in other breeds and types of dogs in Ireland, it remains legal for a vet to perform it on greyhounds under the Artificial Insemination of Greyhounds Regulations 2005.
What is surgical artificial insemination?
Surgical artificial insemination is an assisted breeding procedure. It is completely banned in the UK and treated as a mutilation, making it a serious criminal offence under the UK’s three Animal Welfare Acts. It is a highly invasive procedure that involves placing a female dog under anaesthetic, making an incision into her abdomen and lifting her uterus out of her body. This is all for the unnecessary purpose of getting her pregnant to produce puppies for the greyhound racing industry.
Irish Government figures show that between 2019-2021, 414 matings of greyhounds took place using surgical artificial insemination. Most worryingly, a greyhound in Ireland can legally be bred up to eight times in her life and there is no restriction on how many times surgical artificial insemination can be used.
We need an immediate ban
In July last year, Naturewatch Foundation fully opposed the continued use of surgical artificial insemination in greyhounds in Ireland and told the Minister in our response to the consultation that we wanted to see an immediate ban written into Irish law. We also made it clear that the Irish Government must go further for dog welfare and introduce safeguards to ensure that only qualified veterinary professionals in Ireland can carry out other assisted breeding procedures on dogs. This is particularly important in light of our campaigning against amateur canine fertility clinics, which also operate in the Republic of Ireland.
There is wide support for a ban on surgical artificial insemination in Ireland, with the Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the Irish Parliament, the Irish Government’s Working Group on the Control of Dogs and the Veterinary Council of Ireland all recommending that the practice should be completely prohibited.
The Irish Government must act now
Over a year since the public consultation, the Irish Government is yet to formally release the results of the consultation. However, our friends at Dog Law Ireland made a shocking discovery at the end of May, finding that minutes published by the Irish Government’s Advisory Council on Companion Animal Welfare show the results have been known since at least September 2024 and they unsurprisingly indicate public support for a ban.
Given the serious ethical and welfare concerns about the ongoing use of surgical artificial insemination in greyhounds, it is unfathomable that the Irish Government is yet to act. Following the revelation the Irish Government has known the public’s views on this for many months, we wrote to the minister in June and received no reply. We followed up in July and received a disappointing response from his office, which stated: The Department is closely examining this issue and will be providing advice on an appropriate course of action in the near future.
In our view, the appropriate course of action is clear and requires no further debate or delay. Surgical artificial insemination in greyhounds must be banned immediately in Ireland.
We will continue to follow this issue closely and will bring you updates as they arise. In the meantime, learn more about our work to tackle unregulated canine fertility clinics here.
