THE fallout from a NSW government decision to ban greyhound racing in this state from July next year, continues.
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The ACT is now also following suit for a start; sparked by a damning report into the industry’s dark side, which found evidence of systemic animal cruelty within the industry.
The industry itself has now called a temporary halt to racing in NSW, until they can get a better handle on what it all means for those involved.
And it will be broad-anging, there is no doubt.
Over a 1000 people are directly employed by the industry in this state, and there’s thousands of dogs and breeders and fringe businesses that will be impacted.
The state’s peak veterinary group, for one, is worried there won’t be any dogs to re-home at the end of the process, that the ban will lead to wide-scale euthanasia of dogs.
That’s a concern coming broadly from the community too, and even the industry itself.
They’re also worried the sport will be pushed underground, where animal welfare issues will be even harder to police.
Racing groups in other states have expressed concern over a lack of consultation, where they’ll be left to
deal with the fallout and perhaps an influx of dogs from NSW into their backyard.
Yesterday’s announcement did come out of the blue; it’s fair to say industry groups were taken completely by surprise.
To punish an entire industry does seem like a broad brush, but it comes down to a failure to address systemic problems.
The job now, is in how the industry is shut down.
We are dealing with people and people’s livelihoods and that’s the shame of it.
It’s not just a matter of saying it’s done, it’s over.
The true test of the government’s mettle now will be in how it’s carried out, and how people (and animals) are exited.