Help end the export of Australian greyhounds
Image: Robin Olive Reich
Speak up today to protect Australian greyhounds
On 1 September 2021, Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi introduced the Customs Legislation Amendment (Commercial Greyhound Export and Import Prohibition) Bill 2021. The proposed legislation will ban the export and import of greyhounds to and from Australia for commercial purposes including breeding and racing. This ban also includes a prohibition on the export or import of breeding material.
The Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport is now seeking public submissions on the Customs Legislation Amendment (Commercial Greyhound Export and Import Prohibition) Bill 2021.
Currently, Australian greyhound racing participants can legally export greyhounds to many overseas destinations for racing, breeding and other commercial purposes; with greyhounds frequently at risk of abhorrent animal cruelty, neglect, abuse, and even death.
The current ineffective Australian animal welfare legislation and rules that regulate greyhound exports means, Australian greyhounds can be exported to an often unknown fate. This includes being exported from Australia and then again to other greyhound export markets and destinations, with low or no animal welfare protection. Once a greyhound leaves Australian shores as part of the commercial global greyhound export and trade, they face an increased serious risk of compromised animal welfare and wellbeing – losing what little prior Australian animal welfare protections they previously had.
Investigations into the cruel greyhound export trade have revealed abhorrent greyhound suffering and the premature death of thousands of Australian greyhounds. Now we have an opportunity to end the export of all Australian greyhounds for racing, breeding and commercial purposes.
Animal Liberation is compiling a comprehensive formal submission on behalf of our members and supporters, but we also want to support you to lodge a personal submission.
Submissions close 5 pm, Wednesday 16 August 2023.
Overview of the bill
The Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport is currently considering the Customs Legislation Amendment (Commercial Greyhound Export and Import Prohibition) Bill 2021.
This important legislative reform will prohibit the export of Australian greyhounds for commercial purposes such as racing and breeding.
The Bill will limit the suffering, neglect and cruelty towards Australian greyhounds by stopping them from being exported to countries with lower or no welfare standards for greyhounds than those in Australia.
Lodge a personal submission to protect Australian greyhounds from an unknown ‘export’ fate
Submissions can be as simple or as detailed as you like. There are a number of ways you can have your say. You can use the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds or Free the Hounds submission guides, write your own email and send it directly to rrat.sen@aph.gov.au, or make an online submission using the government portal.
Be a voice for greyhounds like Brooklyn.
Brooklyn was born on December 10, 2008 on a breeding farm in New South Wales, Australia. After failing as a racer in Australia in 2010, he was shipped to the Yat Yuen Canidrome, the then only legal dog track in China. No dog had ever made it out alive from this notorious facility. There was no adoption program.
Brooklyn became a rallying cry for the effort to end greyhound racing across the world. After enormous public pressure, in 2018 the Canidrome was closed. More than five hundred greyhounds were sent to waiting adopters across the globe, and Brooklyn made it to the Boston area to live with local residents Carey Theil and Christine Dorchak.
About the greyhound export industry
The global greyhound export market is financially lucrative, largely unregulated and unaccountable, placing personal profits and the gambling industry ahead of the welfare and wellbeing of individual, unique and sentient greyhounds. In addition to the profits derived by individual Australian greyhound racing participants’, other stakeholders capitalise and financially benefit from greyhound exports, including; road and air animal transport companies, boarding kennels, some veterinary practitioners involved with animal exports, and even the Australian government who receive a fee for the greyhound export passports.
Between 2016 and 2022, more than 1,500 Australian greyhounds were exported overseas, and while the numbers of greyhounds exported from Australia has continued to decline, greyhounds are still being exported for racing, breeding and commercial purposes.
In spite of the Australian national member body, Greyhounds Australasia introducing an Australian greyhound ‘passport’ in 2004 and blacklisting China as an export destination in 2016, data from the Australian Federal Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry confirms, Australian greyhounds are still being sent to China and other unsuitable destinations. 23 Australian greyhounds have been exported to Hong Kong and China between January 2016 and May 2023.
While the industry organisation GA is able to respond to charges by issuing suspensions and disqualifications, as is GWIC in relation to NSW participants, as there are currently no laws restricting the export of greyhounds, it isn’t possible to criminally charge such individuals. The animals themselves, these gentle dogs of course also lose all protections previously enjoyed in Australia, completely inadequate as they are, when they are exported.
Recent examples include the greyhounds Canya Cruise (WA origin) and Turbo Thomas (NSW origin). The 4-year-old greyhound Turbo Thomas was sold by GRNSW participant Trent Anderson to Victorian trainer disqualified Vince Tullio and then again re-sold to another Victoria trainer Damien Senn. Turbo Thomas was transferred from NSW to Victoria and then exported to China from Melbourne. This was after Turbo Thomas had earned Anderson around $55,000 and yet he discarded Turbo Thomas for more profit in spite of the known risks.
Shockingly, both Canya Cruise and Turbo Thomas were exported as “companion animals”, 'pets', but are now both listed on a Chinese breeding website.
While Animal Liberation will continue our greyhound campaign to shut down greyhound racing in Australia, the welfare of all individual exported Australian greyhounds must also be protected. The only effective and meaningful way to protect Australian greyhounds from ending up in inhumane conditions which do not meet Australia’s animal welfare standards, is federal legislation to ban the export of all greyhounds.