Baird: “Close this industry down”
The government of New South Wales has announced it will shut down the greyhound racing industry in the state starting in July 2017.
The news follows an inquiry that turned up shocking evidence of widespread, systemic animal cruelty, reported ABC News. NSW Premier Mike Baird said the “widespread and systemic mistreatment of animals” was not acceptable, adding that the government had “no acceptable course of action except to close this industry down.”
The inquiry found evidence of mistreatment of the racing dogs, mass killings of greyhounds, and live baiting.
Greyhound Racing NSW responded that it has “taken decisive action” over the past year to “recover community trust” and “transformed the sport into a stronger, sustainable one in which animal welfare and integrity were fundamental to a vibrant future.
“The NSW government, after receiving the report of the special commission of inquiry, has come to a different conclusion, one that will rock industry participants and associated communities around our state, as well as the hardworking GRNSW team and its partners who have been working tirelessly to improve the industry.”
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr agreed with Baird, saying, “There is no future for this industry in the ACT. It is untenable for the ACT government to continue allowing and financially supporting the practice of greyhound racing.”
The UK Daily Mail reported that NSW is the first Australian state to shut down the sport, in which an estimated 20 percent of trainers were found to engage in live baiting their runners. In other disturbing results, 180 greyhounds were said to die on the racetrack each year, and up to 68,000 of the dogs were killed in past 12 years “because they were deemed uncompetitive.”
Inquiry Commissioner Michael McHugh said the industry had lost its “social license” to operate.
