UPDATE: All greyhound racing across NSW has been suspended for seven days, effective immediately.
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The peak greyhound racing body says its devastated by today's announcement to shut down the industry from July, next year.
In a statement, Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) said it had taken "decisive action" in the wake of live-baiting scandals and fully cooperated with the inquiry.
"The greyhound racing industry is devastated by today’s decision by the NSW Government to shut down the sport in NSW," a spokesperson said.
"Given today’s announcement, GRNSW has made the decision to suspend greyhound racing for the next seven days beginning with immediate effect.
"Today is an extremely sad day for the NSW greyhound racing industry and the people involved in it."
THE REACTION: Gunnedah
NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association Chairman Geoff Rose has told The Leader the industry ban is "absolutely ridiculous".
"It's unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable," he said just minutes after the news broke.
"The industry should be fixed, not shut down.
"It should be fixed, and we've done everything to fix it since this inquiry was announced, I can see why it wasn't announced before the federal election."
Mr Rose said the government's ban would not end animal cruelty.
"What about animal welfare, good question, talking about animals, how are they going to be saved?" he said.
"We're either going to have a mass exit to other states or we're going to see a lot of animals put down.
"How is the animal welfare going to be done now?
"I've got eight tracks and all the staff, they're frightened of losing their jobs, they're panicking and rightly so."
He said he stood by his comments from 18 months ago, and said a ban would not help animal welfare.
In February, 2015, Mr Rose called for life bans on trainers found guilty of live baiting and said it was "deplorable" but warned against a knee-jerk response.
"These people are crucifying the industry and should never be allowed to walk onto a racetrack again," Mr Rose said at the time.
"But no matter what sport it is, you're going to have bad eggs, and the industry shouldn't be tarnished by a minority.
"This could destroy a lovely breed and a great sport."
WHAT THE FINDINGS INCLUDED:
- The mass killing of greyhounds. The report found, “In NSW in the last 12 years… somewhere between 48,891 and 68,448 dogs were killed because they were considered too slow to pay their way or were unsuitable for racing.” In the industry, they call this “wastage”. It’s not wastage: it is the unnecessary slaughtering of tens of thousands of healthy dogs.
- The widespread practice of “live baiting”. This is where live animals, like rabbits, are used as bait to be chased by dogs in training sessions. The report found that, even though this is already illegal and carries heavy penalties, “a trainer, who admitted to engaging in live baiting, testified that about 10-20% of trainers engaged in live baiting.”
- The systemic deception of the public concerning the numbers of deaths and injuries of dogs. It is estimated that 180 greyhounds per year sustain catastrophic injuries during races such as skull fractures or broken backs that result in their immediate death. But the commission found that “Greyhound Racing NSW had adopted a policy of deliberately misreporting the extent of injuries suffered by greyhounds at racetracks.”
- The industry is not capable, in the short or medium term, of reforming. The report found that “it appears unlikely that the issue of the large scale killing of healthy greyhounds by the industry can be addressed successfully in the future.” In fact, the report found that, "such is the culture of the industry and some of its leaders that it is no longer, if it ever was, entitled to the trust of the community."
THE REACTION: ARMIDALE
The ARMIDALE Greyhound club have reacted to the NSW Government's decision to ban greyhound racing across the state from July next year.
Club secretary Barry Mitchell told the Armidale Express it was disappointing the whole industry has been affected because of the acts of a few others in the sport.
“You’re are probably blaming the whole industry for something that got out of hand on a low scale," he said.
“Heaps of things happen in other sports whether it is a two-legged sport or a four-legged sport but you don’t penalise the whole sport because of a minor few and this is what I feel they have tried to do.
“A lot of people agree with it but they are people who don’t really understand the sport.
“Look at all sports.
“There is something that you could pick them up on.
“You could ban every sport you wanted."
Mr Mitchell said it is sad for people involved in the sport who rely on racing to bring in an income to support their families.
“A lot of these greyhound owners and breeders would have frozen semen worth hundreds of thousands of dollars," he said.
“I don’t have greyhounds anymore but people with them are going to be hit very hard.
“That’s their living.
“That’s their income.
“It is a bold move, a brave statement."
The ban will come into place in July, 2017.
1.30PM: NSW Premier Mike Baird and Deputy Premier Troy Grant have revealed the findings of the Special Commission of Inquiry report on Thursday afternoon at a press conference in Sydney
"The report is ... chilling, confronting, horrific," Mr Baird said.
"He (Justice McHugh) has shone a light on an industry that has overseen the slaughter of tens of thousands of healthy dogs whose only crime was not being fast enough.
"This is not an easy decision. It is certainly one that is not taken lightly but when confronted with Justice McHugh's report it is the right thing to do."This is an industry across the world that has been shrinking."
1.00PM: Local Tamworth trainers are in absolute shock over the decision to shut down the greyound racing trainer.
One Tamworth-based trainer, who did not want to be named, said he "couldn't believe it" and the news had "come out of the blue".
He said he fears for the animals, as well as the livelihoods of some of the locals trainers in country areas.
12.30PM: Deputy Premier and Racing Minister Troy Grant said "this is a bloody awful day".
Mr Grant said the government had acted quickly to the issue and urged all in NSW to read a "chilling report".
"No government wants to close down an industry and there are many many people who have done nothing wrong," Mr Grant said. "They have been let down by their own industry."
Mr Grant said that delay to June 30 would facilitate the re-homing of dogs and a transition package for workers.
The sport would continue "under scrutiny" until then. "Don't panic. Government will work with you," Mr Grant said.
The RSPCA has called the measure an historic landmark for animal welfare and called on other states to follow NSW's ban.
The Greens MLC and Animal Welfare spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi said: "This is absolutely incredible and in many ways unprecedented news. This is a win for animals.
"Animal welfare activists have worked tirelessly for this outcome for so many years. I must pay credit to the NSW Government for taking this long overdue step."
MIDDAY: NSW Premier Mike Baird has announced a ban on greyhound racing, after the state government considered an 800-page report tabled by a Special Commission into "widespread cruelty" in the industry.
Former High Court judge Michael McHugh oversaw the Special Commission - which was sparked in the wake of ABC's Four Corners investigation to the industry - and presented his report to Deputy Premier and Racing Minister Troy Grant last month.
In a media release and Facebook post on Thursday morning, Mr Baird said the government planned to close down the industry which directly employs more than 1000 people.
The report found that between 48,000 and 68,000 greyhounds - or almost half of all greyhounds bred to race - were killed in the past 12 years because they were deemed uncompetitive.
"In response to widespread illegal and unconscionable activity, including the slaughtering of tens of thousands of dogs, I can today announce that NSW is putting an end to greyhound racing," Mr Baird announced on his Facebook page.
"One of the issues we have had to wrestle with is the positive impact of the greyhound racing industry. There are over 1000 direct jobs in the industry and nearly 6000 registered owners of greyhounds. Dog racing can be an important part of the social fabric of regional towns. And, of course, having a punt on the dogs over a few beers is good fun for many people.
"So, as Mr McHugh asked, do such benefits of the dog racing industry outweigh the shortcomings? Based on this report, the Government believes they do not. Greyhound racing has been banned in many countries and many states of the US and is legal in only eight countries around the world. NSW will be the first state in Australia to ban it."
