“A man who used a live rabbit strapped to a lure as a method to train greyhounds has been banned for life from the sport.” – The Sydney Morning Herald, Banned for life: Greyhound trainer still handled dogs years after live baiting scandal, Adam Pengilly, October 19, 2023
Read about the regulatory structure in each state here
The RSPCA has long specified wide-ranging regulatory standards for the greyhound racing industry which state governments have failed to implement.
- comprehensive regulation of greyhound racing by an independent body with a formal and complete separation of the integrity and regulatory functions from the commercial functions,
- adoption of compulsory and enforced animal welfare standards for greyhounds at all life stages to eliminate practices that cause injury, pain, suffering or distress and ensure all greyhounds have a good quality of life,
- adoption of formal processes to address over-supply and wastage rates – there should be an expectation and formal processes in place within the industry that greyhounds will be rehomed as a companion animal on retirement and provisions made to ensure their welfare,
- mandatory collection and publication of comprehensive lifecycle (birth to death records) and injury statistics and the development of a national identification and traceability system for all greyhounds to ensure each greyhound born is accounted for.
Governments want to avoid anything that might reduce the betting tax they get from racing, alienate conservative voters in regional electorates with tracks or anger the powerful racing and gambling industries. And in states where self-regulation is allowed, such as Victoria, the racing body was forced to release welfare data about greyhounds – see here (Guardian blog, October 16, 2024), with the full details in Hansard here.
Related media coverage:
- 17 June, 2024 – Greyhound trainer Tony Rasmussen handed life ban, fined for ill treatment of greyhounds, but Lisa Rasmussen’s 15 year suspension has been reduced to five years by the SA Racing Appeals Tribunal – see here (15 July 2024).
- November 28, 2023 – ABC Radio Melbourne, Calls to end all taxpayer spending on greyhound racing, Emile Pavlich – this three-minute radio item covers CPG’s new regulatory report which says that the Victorian Government’s response to date on greyhound welfare has failed to stop greyhounds suffering pain and harm.
- November 27, 2023 – ABC TV news bulletin Melbourne, CPG Victorian regulatory report – this news item highlights CPG’s new report and its call to stop funding greyhound racing in Victoria with public money.
- February 4, 2024 – Tasmanian Times, Call to End Tasracing’s Involvement in Inspection and Anti-doping.
- November 13, 2023 – Tasmanian Times (TAS), New Report – Punters Duped, Dogs Mistreated – this article covers CPG’s Tasmanian regulatory report which shows Tasmania’s Government is not penalising wrongdoers who dope racing greyhounds which means the dogs suffer and punters get ripped off.
- April 28, 2023 – ABC online news Adelaide, Greyhound welfare watchdog calls for out-of-competition drug testing to counter doping in racing industry, Leah MacLennan – this article covers CPG’s new report on SA greyhound industry regulation which calls for better regulation of doping in the industry, labelling current controls as “antiquated”, “predictable” and “easily circumvented”.