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| Lovely Lepto is an ex-racer. |
Legislation banning greyhound racing in New South Wales
from July 1 2017 has passed the NSW parliament. The bill, introduced by the
Baird Government, will see the appointment of an administrator to wind up the
industry.
The debate about the ban has been extraordinary. The
interests of greyhound owners, trainers, veterinarians, those employed by the
industry directly and indirectly, have been pitched directly against the
interests of the dogs. Some have argued that the welfare of them majority of
dogs is and has always been good, it’s just a few bad cases. Some have argued
that the behaviour of breeders, owners and trainers has generally been
excellent – save for "a few bad apples". Others, including The Honorable Michael
McHugh AC, QC who compiled the report, argue that animal welfare and Governance
issues are systemic, entrenched and cannot be addressed satisfactorily without
abolishing the industry.
When it comes to animal welfare, abolition of any form of
animal use is the exception, not the norm. We are used to a form of incrementalimprovement, although in the case of the greyhound industry the argument made
by McHugh is that this has failed repeatedly to achieve significant improvement
despite recommendations and existing regulations. Industry pundits and animal
activist groups alike were stunned by the Government’s announcement of a
proposed ban.
But the ban has been vigorously defended and passed.
The question being asked by many is, what does this mean
for other animal use industries? A thorough review of the McHugh Report is
instructive in revealing where the greyhound industry went wrong, and I think it is a valuable teaching tool in animal welfare and animal management.
Animal welfare science is an established field and it is indefensible for any
industry to operate without regard to current knowledge, including the social
and behavioural needs of animals, and basic principles such as the five
freedoms (for example, freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to
express normal behaviour).
The ban will yield its own animal welfare consequences,
some unintended. For example, it is anticipated that many trainers will
surrender or present dogs for euthanasia. It is critical that we carefully
manage and aim to maximise the welfare of these dogs as the industry is phased
out. Greyhound rescue groups are already working to maximise adoptions and rehoming, but they are going to need sustained assistance.
