Source: SAFE For Animals
In 2020, the Government gave the greyhound racing industry 18 months to make improvements or risk closure. Racing Minister Kieran McAnulty told New Zealand there would be only two outcomes from this review; either greyhound racing would continue under strictly monitored regulations, or the industry would be closed.
SAFE Campaigns Manager Anna de Roo says she was expecting a decision soon, at the very least before the election.
“We do not accept this outcome,” says de Roo. “This feels like betrayal. Greyhounds deserve more when the suffering is so evident.”
“To kick the can down the road is a complete dereliction of responsibility, that leaves greyhounds exposed to continued mistreatment, injuries and death. The Minister must address this as a matter of urgency.”
The last decade has seen three reviews into the greyhound racing industry. All led to recommendations for change. The first, the WHK review, was commissioned by GRNZ in 2013. The second, the Hansen review, was commissioned by the New Zealand Racing Board in 2017.
The third review, by Sir Bruce Robertson, was commissioned in 2021 by Grant Robertson, the Minister for Racing at the time, after he determined GRNZ had not fully implemented recommendations from the Hansen Review.
Since the greyhound racing industry was put “formally on notice” in September 2021, there have been 1,467 injuries, 156 broken bones, and 13 greyhounds killed. In the last racing season 41% of racing greyhounds suffered injuries.
“The latest review explicitly made the point that should the Racing Integrity Board consider the industry’s progress this year, it will have been ten years and three reports with the fundamental issues all unchanged. This just goes to show how long greyhounds have been suffering”
“No more wasting time. The Government needs to make a decision, before the election, and the decision has to be a ban on greyhound racing.”
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Notes for editors:
– A poll by Cammora Research ltd. found 74% of New Zealanders would vote to ban greyhound racing in a referendum.
– A 2021 petition demanding a ban on greyhound racing accrued over 37,000 signatures.
– Following a review of the greyhound racing industry, Grant Robertson, the previous Racing Minister, stated there are three fundamental issues that still needed to be addressed; data recording, transparency of all activities, and animal welfare generally. He tasked the Racing Integrity board to identify indicators over each of those areas to assess the industry’s progress. The RIB reported back on that progress to current Racing Minister Kieran McAnulty in December 2023.
– In August 2021, Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan accepted The Greyhound Protection League of New Zealand’s 37,700 signature-strong petition, calling for a ban on greyhound racing in New Zealand. SAFE had been supporting the petition since November 2020.
– Greyhound racing is legal in only seven countries. A ban in the Australian Capital Territory came into force in April 2018, followed by a ban in Florida, USA, in November 2018. Since Florida is home to 11 of the USA’s 17 active dog tracks, this is a signal that greyhound racing will soon become a thing of the past in the United States.
