The Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) has said it welcomes the outcome of two successful prosecutions against prominent trainers who separately admitted possessing illegal animal remedies.
The IGB would not comment on whether it intends to follow the precedent it set four-years ago when it initiated a follow-up investigation and revoked the licence of a trainer who had illegal animal remedies seized under the same regulations.
Last week a two-time winning trainer of the Irish greyhound Derby, Michael J O'Donovan (56) of Reddanswalk, Tipperary Town pleaded guilty to possession of an illegal animal remedy, which the court heard had been found in his car and was a performance enhancer.
The product, MV Chinfield, was discovered during searches at his kennels in December 2016 after he bought the substance in the car park of Shelbourne Park greyhound stadium. It is illegal because it is an unauthorised drug under European Communities Animal Remedy Regulations.
In September Craig Kelly of Chapel Road, Clogherhead, Louth pleaded guilty to similar charges under the same regulations when he was found with a different substance at his kennels in February 2016.
Both prosecutions were taken by the Minister for Agriculture following searches carried out by the Department of Agriculture's Special Investigations Unit.
The IGB said it would not comment on any follow up action it might take in individual cases but that it will maintain an "ongoing review of all relevant issues relating to doping and medication and consider any appropriate action".
"The IGB welcomes the outcomes in the cases mentioned as part of a clear determination on behalf of the greyhound industry to address any issues regarding doping and medication in greyhound racing," it said.
The comments came following the outcome of the prosecution in the case of O’Donovan, who trained the 2014 Derby winner and has enjoyed a highly successful 30-year career with track and coursing dogs.
Last week at his trial in Tipperary District Court the trainer was charged with possession of MV Chinfield and a second substance Aminoforte.
The second charge, in relation to possession of the Aminoforte, was withdrawn when, during a lunchbreak, O'Donovan changed his plea to the first offence and admitted possessing MV Chinfield.
Counsel for the Minister for Agriculture, Donnchadh McCarthy, said the MV Chinfield was a performance enhancer that had never previously been found in Ireland and gave rise to "serious concerns" in the Department.
The judge had heard evidence from Louis Reardon, a veterinary inspector at the Department of Agriculture's Special Investigations Unit.
Mr Reardon said the bottle of MV Chinfield had originally been sourced in Argentina and had Spanish markings for veterinary use.
Mr Reardon said it was marketed for use on horses to boost oxygen intake, increase blood flow and would be expected to enhance the performance of a racing greyhound.
"The more oxygen they (greyhounds) can take on the better they can perform," he said.
Extracts from two interviews Mr Reardon conducted with O'Donovan were read in evidence.
During these O'Donovan told inspectors he bought the MV Chinfield from a Northern Irish man who charged him €50 for the 50ml bottle.
"I bought it at the track in Dublin off a fella... he approached me in the car park in Shelbourne Park," he said.
O’Donovan said he had not used the product on his dogs and that it was kept in his car.
According to the interview transcripts Mr Reardon said he did not accept this. He said when he found the bottle it was in O'Donovan's 151 Volkswagen Transporter wrapped in a bandage, the seal had been broken and the cap perforated.
The matching box was found in a bin in the kennels behind the trainer's cottage in Tipperary Town.
The Court was told that on the day in December 2016 two inspectors visited the Reddanswalk kennels arising from concerns raised earlier that year when the Irish Coursing Club published disciplinary findings relating to positive tests on two dogs trained by O'Donovan where an amphetamine was detected.
Counsel for O'Donovan, Aaron Desmond, said his client had been cooperative during the investigations and had no previous convictions.
He said O'Donovan had limited means.
"He has worked with dogs since the tender age of 18... dogs are his life."
He asked the court to take into consideration the "ramifications of this matter on his professional life going forward" as a greyhound trainer.
O'Donovan was fined €500 and ordered to pay €3,850 towards the prosecution's costs.
In the case of Craig Kelly he pleaded guilty after vials containing a substance called Promote were found at his kennels during searches. He had no previous convictions and was also ordered to pay costs following his guilty plea. He was not fined.
The searches were triggered after a dog he trained, Bellmore Neymar, tested positive for a steroid in the heats of the English derby and he was suspended by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
