NEW South Wales is set to become the first state in the country to end the sport of greyhound racing, as of July 1, 2017.
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Premier Mike Baird made the surprise announcement yesterday, in the wake of a Special Commission of Inquiry, which found “overwhelming evidence of systemic animal cruelty, including mass greyhound killings and live baiting”.
The inquiry found that between 48,000 and 68,000 greyhounds – or at least half of all greyhound bred to race – were killed in the last 12 years, because they were deemed “uncompetitive”.
Inquiry Commissioner Michael McHugh recommended that parliament consider whether the industry (which directly employs about a 1000 people and has nearly 6000 registered owners) had “lost its social licence to operate” and should be shut down.
Well, that’s exactly what the state government has taken from this report.
The next step is to prepare and consult on legislation to be presented to Parliament to cease the industry’s operation within 12 months, and to appoint an administrator for Greyhound Racing NSW.
The government will also seek toput in place a transition plan which includes:
* A welfare plan for existing greyhounds, including rehoming opportunities;
* An adjustment package for industry participants; and
* A transition arrangement for existing Greyhound Racing NSW assets that will ensure they are used for open public spaces, alternative sporting facilities or other community use.
Some say it’s not a surprise that the industry has failed to act hard and fast enough and deserves everything it gets.
Indeed the Commission found that there is a “very real risk” that practices such as live baiting would continue.
The Greens say it’s a win for animal welfare and is long overdue.
Others say the decision has come out of the blue and that the government is just washing its hands of the problems.
What will happen to the thousands of dogs already in the industry is a whole other issue.
Obviously the commission doesn’t believe the bad eggs can be cleaned out, and the government agrees.
Already there is pressure on other states to follow suit and we’ll see more of the fallout from this decision over coming days.
A summary of the key findings in the inquiry report can be found at http://www.greyhoundracinginquiry.justice.nsw.gov.au/