Shut Down of Greyhound Racing Ignores Expert Evidence

by Allen Bryce, Chair of Greyhound Racing New Zealand’s Animal Health and Welfare committee:

Ten years ago, criticisms of animal welfare standards in greyhound racing were sometimes deserved but are not warranted by the reality today.

As independent chair of Greyhound Racing New Zealand’s Animal Health and Welfare Committee I have watched the welfare of the dogs become the focus of every decision.

Since 2013 the sport has been subjected to three reviews, two initiated by the industry body, the third by the government. The latest, the 2021 Robertson Review, noted ten recommendations across four key broad areas requiring improvements: transparency and communication, traceability of dogs, rehoming, and injury rates.

The first three have been fully resolved and even the Government’s own National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee confirmed GRNZ has met the required welfare standards. Superb athletes, greyhounds love to compete and contrary to misinformed propaganda, are never forced to race. Injury rates on New Zealand tracks are lower than in Australia. And the number of New Zealand greyhounds euthanised as a result of track injuries is about half the number of racehorses which suffer a similar fate each year.

Chair of several animal welfare boards internationally, and professor of Veterinary Ethics at Nottingham University, Dr Madeleine Campbell confirmed in her affidavit to the High Court that GRNZ’s systems meet the highest standards across the five domains of animal welfare and are aligned with the best practices in the sport internationally.

“Compliance to these welfare standards by trainers, breeders, owners and others in the sport is good: as stated in the Racing integrity Board’s November 2024 report GRNZ’s level of compliance met standards in all areas under review,” she said.

As in all high-energy sports, injuries do occur and most common for greyhounds are soft tissue strains or sprains. Work on a second straight track, the single most effective way to reduce these injuries, was paused following the Government’s shut down announcement. Other planned improvements, such as building better-designed tracks and making major upgrades to existing ones, were also halted.

Even so, a new straight track was completed at Whanganui and has been successfully operating since mid-2024, with a quarter of the injury rate of traditional tracks. While racing continues, there are plans to implement some recently identified initiatives that may further reduce injuries.

Complete closure of all greyhound racing will be costly. Rehoming about 2500 dogs will be a massive task. Currently, each greyhound is rehomed as its racing or breeding career ends – with a record 673 dogs rehomed last year. Rehoming the remaining greyhounds is likely to take at least 2-3 years, while the owners or trainers denied the income from racing those dogs will have to meet the cost of feeding and caring for them. The government could save that wasted expenditure by allowing racing to continue and investing in track replacements and other improvements that would benefit the welfare of the dogs.

The SPCA has offered to assist with the rehoming, but animal welfare charities already find it difficult or impossible to find new owners for all the dogs that go through their shelters and will not reveal how many healthy but unwanted dogs and cats they euthanise each year – although you can be sure it is many more than in greyhound racing. The sport is transparent on these statistics, and healthy greyhounds are never euthanised.

The rushing through of legislation to prevent the mass euthanasia of greyhounds was unnecessary – GRNZ rules already prevent euthanasia of dogs unless a veterinarian has certified it is the only humane alternative – and it sent the false message that greyhound trainers or owners would euthanise their greyhounds as a consequence of the government’s decision.

Claims GRNZ fails to keep track of its dogs, are no longer valid. Every greyhound is traced from birth until it leaves the industry when it is adopted as a pet; they are microchipped at 8-10 weeks old and checked at least every 6 months. Every injury is reported, no matter how minor. Considerable sums are invested to ensure injured dogs receive surgery, even when the veterinary costs are very high, so they can recover from injuries rather than be euthanised.

Greyhound Racing is heavily regulated. By attending all race meetings, regularly auditing all trainer's operations, and reporting direct to the Minister, the Racing Integrity Board (RIB), ensures the welfare standards, which exceed those for any other dogs, are always followed. Virtually all greyhound owners and trainers love their dogs and treat them well. On the few occasions where standards are not met, the RIB has powers to require improvements or to prosecute.

Greyhound racing has changed. It has evolved. It has listened to critics, acted on expert advice, and embraced transparency. The Robertson Review recommended that if closure was “to be seriously contemplated, then a full-scale inquiry will be required to assess all consequences of the actions which are wider than greyhound welfare”, something that simply did not occur. Now it deserves a fair hearing - not just a final execution.