20 December 2017

Racing industry needs to stop Greyhounds dying

The Green Party is calling on the racing industry to immediately address animal welfare issues, including the high rates of death, in the greyhound racing industry or risk losing its social licence to operate, following the release of a scathing report by Hon. Rodney Hansen QC today.

“Only eight other countries in the world have commercial greyhound racing industries and this damning report raises the question if in fact it should be reduced to seven,” said Green Party animal welfare spokesperson Gareth Hughes.

“If the death, injury, and re-homing rates can’t be significantly improved, and better data collection and tracking enforced, the social license for this industry should be revoked.

“The industry needs to immediately prove it can operate in a humane way, with decent animal welfare standards. Greyhounds shouldn’t be dying for people’s viewing and gambling pleasure.

“It is an indictment to read that 165 greyhounds died while racing or sustained injuries racing requiring them to be put down in the last three seasons and over 2000 dogs suffered injuries that prevented them for racing for a period.

“The industry also needs to improve its rules on euthanizing dogs so that killing the animal is not used a cheap way of disposing of dogs when the owners are finished racing them.

“How can the public have confidence in the industry’s animal welfare standards on issues like what happens to dogs after their racing careers when the report notes “the database is seriously deficient”.

“This report is a wake-up call to an industry that gets away with treating animals in ways that no dog lover would ever consider reasonable or how they would treat their own pets.”

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