Animal Welfare – Industry report indicates unnecessary euthanasia of greyhounds may still be occurring – SAFE

Greyhound Racing New Zealand’s (GRNZ) most recent quarterly report to the Racing Minister suggests there may still be “unnecessary” euthanasia occurring under the banner of behavioural issues, or medical euthanasia for illness or injury.

The Racing Integrity Board (RIB) also uncovered a potential causal link between poor racing performance and euthanasia for greyhounds.

SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe said it’s concerning that unnecessary euthanasia could still be occurring.

“This does not give us confidence that the industry is reporting accurate information,” said Appelbe.

“GRNZ has been touting the claim they’ve had zero unnecessary euthanasia’s this season. Those claims are now dubious, and it’s another example of a lack of transparency.”

In quarter one and quarter two (1 August 2021 to 31 January 2022), there had been 55 dogs euthanised. GRNZ claimed two were euthanised on the track, however, a further two were euthanised after suffering injuries during trials. These were not included in the race day euthanasia statistics.

Injuries saw little improvement, with 412 injuries inflicted, compared to 464 in the same period the season prior. Approximately a third of these injuries were major or severe. Data analysis also revealed that there were instances where injury information was not being logged accurately.

“The greyhound racing industry is continuing to have a demonstrably negative welfare impact on dogs, and we are still seriously concerned with a lack of transparency from GRNZ. It appears that Racing Minister Grant Robertson is receiving incomplete and inaccurate data from the industry.”

“If the Government wants to protect these dogs from harm, a ban on greyhound racing is the solution.”

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In regards to unnecessary euthanasia occouring under the banner of behavioural issues, or medical euthanasia for illness or injury, the quarterly report states:

 – Data analysis undertaken by the RIB Data Insights Lead has suggested that although unnecessary euthanasia is at its lowest level since 2016, there may still be instances of it occurring under the banner of behavioural issues or medical euthanasia for illness/injury. 
– This analysis has also found a potential causal link between poor performance and euthanasia. It is therefore necessary to tighten regulation, particularly on the behavioural euthanasia of greyhounds.