The NSW greyhound racing industry has used a paid media article to promote its latest propaganda messages.
The article, authored by Greyhound Racing NSW PR guy Michael Cowley, uses selective data to paint a misleading picture on The Rural news site (“Official greyhound data breeds new confidence in the racing industry”).
It’s the latest product of the industry’s business deal with Australian Community Media that pays for articles rather than spending money on greyhound welfare.
Here’s a few points in the article:
– GRNSW boasts of reduced breeding. Actually, after the live-baiting expose and the McHugh report, the industry had no choice but to greatly reduce greyhound breeding to survive.
BUT – breeding in NSW is now on the increase, with 4,662 greyhounds bred in FY20/21, a 52% increase since 2016/17. More dogs are being bred than rehoming groups can rescue.
– GRNSW boasts of a so-called high “utilisation rate” of 75.4 percent. BUT – that leaves 24.6 percent of greyhounds as “under-utilised “, which is nothing to be proud of it. What happens to these dogs?
This is where the term “wastage” applies, and doesn’t bear thinking about. Even more horrifying is the utilisation rate of 58 percent in 2014-15. So, 42 percent of dogs were discarded; and presumably many of these industry participants are still participating.
– GRNSW boasts of a record number of rehomed greyhounds. But, according to GWIC, GAP NSW only accepted 246 dogs in FY19/20, despite a $3.4M budget. By contrast, NSW’s community-run rescues accepted 373 dogs while relying on donations and volunteer efforts alone.
GAP NSW also has a very high kill-rate, second only to QLD, euthanising just over one in 10 greyhounds they accept for rehoming.
– GRNSW boasts of “all-time low rates of the most serious on-track injuries over the past two years”. BUT GRNSW CEO Tony Mestrov seems to be misinformed by his own data people.
For the period 1 January – 22 October 2021, there have been 153 Major II injuries, the most serious category. For 2020, that number was 138.
Also remember the NSW regulator declared that First Quarter 2021 had the worst death rate in two years.
Mestrov complains that the industry’s PR spin “isn’t being acknowledged by some minority groups.” The groups that can see the reality include RSPCA, Animals Australia, vets, journalists, the ABC and so on.
In other words, groups more concerned with animal welfare than propping up a gambling industry where dogs are killed.
Image source: Farm Transparency Project