Response to Whole-of-Life Tracking for Greyhounds

Animal Liberation calls “spin” on greyhound industry announcement for whole-of-life tracking 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Animal Liberation, Australia’s longest-running animal rights organisation, has called for increased government transparency in response to the announcement by Kevin Anderson, the Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation, concerning a $3.6 million investment into e-Tracking of NSW greyhounds. 

Animal Liberation’s Regional Campaigns Coordinator, Lisa Ryan said, “The Minister and Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) need to come clean about whether the e-Tracking spend involves more public money, and precisely which greyhounds will benefit from this tracking. Minister Anderson needs to demonstrate precisely how this is a “game-changer” for greyhound welfare in NSW, and whether this tracking will be accessible to the public.”

“The greyhound welfare concerns which continue to plague the racing industry are increasing in volume. We’re extremely disappointed that this latest announcement appears to simply be more “spin” designed to obscure from the very serious issues surrounding NSW greyhounds that have disappeared or are missing. Greyhounds are companion animals, and while Adam Marshall, the Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales, claims to be on a “crusade” against animal cruelty, he has been conspicuously silent and missing in action about the welfare of greyhounds.” 

“Under the Greyhound Racing Act 2017, “greyhound” only includes those greyhounds still active on the GRNSW register; it doesn’t include those other greyhounds born into the industry who have never raced, and those which have supposedly been “retired”. These other greyhounds fall into the “wastage” category, and these are the greyhounds we are very concerned about. It is these “other” missing greyhounds, which neither GRNSW nor the Minister have been able to account for. The proposed e-Tracking won’t include these “other” greyhounds and won’t end the persistent speculation and our valid concerns that many greyhounds have disappeared.” 

Dennis Anderson, the national president of the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds, added, “The new technology won’t protect the 224 NSW greyhounds retired by owners and trainers to non-industry participants in the 2019/20 period nor those greyhounds exported interstate.”

Ms Ryan added, “We find the timing of the Minister’s announcement concerning and question whether Mr Anderson is pre-empting the anticipated reports from the current review of the Greyhound Racing Act 2017, and the separate review of the government issued GRNSW five-year Operating Licence. Interestingly, Mr Anderson’s announcement also coincides with the current NSW Government Inquiry into the greyhound industry’s regulator, the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC). The Minister has singled out responsibility to GWIC in his comments, ignoring his own ministerial responsibility and that of GRNSW. GWIC can only act in line with its delegated powers and funding, both of which are completely inadequate.” 

“To date in 2021, NSW has been responsible for 40% of greyhound deaths on Australia tracks and already this year, 12 greyhounds have suffered catastrophic injuries, an increase of 33% over the same period last year. In 2020 across Australia, 9,861 greyhounds were injured and 202 were killed on race tracks, of which 2,821 injuries and 48 deaths occurred on NSW tracks.” 

“For Minister Anderson to imply NSW has the “highest standards of greyhound welfare in Australia” is a complete misinterpretation of the industry’s own statistics and facts. The NSW greyhound industry has featured strongly in every industry expose and multiple reviews and Inquiries, and all the results have been damning. The ongoing NSW greyhound injury and death rates and investigations into compliance breaches, including the drugging of greyhounds, confirms the inherent and systemic issues remain prominent. These unclear “reforms” aren’t world leading – the civilised world is actually shutting down and dismantling greyhound racing because it’s cruel, no longer has a social license, is incapable of reform, and has proven itself to be unsustainable.” 

CONTACT: Lisa Ryan | 02 9262 3221