Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Hollow words from government on greyhound racing

Hollow words from government on greyhound racing.

After many months of investigation by retired High Court Judge Honorable Rodney Hansen, it was revealed that greyhound racing's animal welfare record was as bad as it's critics claimed.

Minister for Racing Hon Winston Peters proclaimed the inquiry's findings of the industry "unacceptable" but animal welfare advocates are demanding action, saying a single word proclamation just doesn't cut it.

"To say something is unacceptable and then do nothing about it is a great shame for greyhounds being injured, killed, live baited and doped for the sake of entertainment" said Aaron Cross, Greyhound Protection League Co-Founder.

"The claims we made in 2013 have now been verified. Greyhound racing is cruel, inhumane and the industry has shown us all it has no intention of undertaking meaningful reforms."

The year after we raised concerns with the government about excessive overbreeding, the industry responded with higher than ever breeding numbers, making an impossible situation even worse for greyhound rehoming groups.

At least six greyhounds have been euthanased at race events due to their injuries since Mr Peters December 19th statement, according to Stewards reports.

"The only thing left is for New Zealand to ban this industry permanently, but all we are seeing is inaction from the new government."

"Winston Peters said he wanted to "help these people" while condemning their actions - So who's going to help the victims of this unethical practice?"

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Dunedin based GPL spokesperson Emily Robertson said that while the report was encouraging, the government should have acknowledged the flaws in inherent with industry self-regulation.

"If Mr Peters wants to help these people he can do that by assigning an independent regulator. The case where Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) board member David Scott advised his greyhound trainer that the RIU was unable to test for certain drugs, and to therefore go ahead and administer them, shows us that self-regulation opens doors to corruption."

"It also shows that testing for drugs in greyhound racing has never been sufficiently adequate, and that animals are paying the price for participants greed."

"The industry simply cannot be allowed to self regulate" She said, noting that the the RIU were also responsible for hiding racing related deaths from the public in their daily reports.

A petition is before the Primary Production Select Committee, and the GPL is hopeful it will create an opportunity to prohibit greyhound racing.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.