THE CHIEF executive of the Irish Greyhound Board, Bord na gCon, has withdrawn comments he made urging Fianna Fáil TDs to defy the Government whip and vote against the Dog Breeding Establishment Bill.
Adrian Neilan said earlier this week that Fianna Fáil backbench deputies must follow the lead of Denis O’Donovan, the Cork-based Senator who refused to support the Bill in the Upper House last week.
"[They must] stand up and be counted and vote against this Bill," said Mr Neilan in an interview with RTÉ's Today with Pat Kennyshow.
“Again I appeal to the backbenchers of Fianna Fáil to stand up and make sure that this does not go through [otherwise] they will face an angry electorate.”
Several Government Ministers were said to be deeply unhappy at the head of a semi-State agency making a public appeal supporting Opposition parties and urging Fianna Fáil deputies to oppose the Government.
Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith spoke to the chairman of Bord na gCon Dick O’Sullivan about the matter yesterday.
While Mr Smith’s office refused to divulge the nature of the conversation, he is understood to have taken exception to Mr Neilan’s comments.
A spokesman for Bord na gCon said yesterday that Mr Neilan was withdrawing the comment asking TDs to vote against the Bill but said that Mr Neilan still stood over the sentiments.
The spokesman said that his appeal to backbench TDs to vote against the Bill was a mistake on Mr Neilan’s part.
“The intention was not to ask people to vote against the Bill.
“What [Mr Neilan] wants is for people to come through with the amendments that will exclude the greyhound industry.
“He does not want to oppose the Government,” said the spokesman In the interview, Mr Neilan was highly critical of the Bill and the burden it would place on the greyhound industry, because of new registration requirements.
He said that Labour, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin had all seen “the folly of this Bill in terms of how it’s going to affect the greyhound industry.
“I know from talking to Fianna Fáil Ministers who are passionate rural TDs. They know they cannot support the Bill. But they must abide by the protocol laid down by the chief whip.”
Minister for the Environment John Gormley made no response to Mr Neilan’s comments last night. “The Minister is concentrating on his own department and his own legislation,” said his spokesman.