New Zealand announces ban on greyhound racing
New Zealand will phase greyhound racing out over the next 20 months.
The New Zealand government has announced plans to ban greyhound racing, citing concerns about the welfare of racing dogs.
It will implement a phasing out of greyhound racing over the course of 20 months, which it says will allow for the racing dogs to be rehomed and a transition period for those involved in the industry.
The decision follows three reviews into the industry in the past decade, each leading to changes being recommended. The government has said, however, that persistently high injury rates have prompted them to ban the practice.
New Zealand’s racing minister Winston Peters said: “We acknowledge the work done by Greyhound Racing New Zealand to improve safety. While fewer dogs are dying, injury rates, while down slightly, have plateaued and remain unacceptably high,”
The government has already introduced the Racing Industry (Unlawful Destruction of Specified Greyhounds) Amendment Bill to prevent the unnecessary killing of racing dogs.
A bill to make the necessary changes to the Racing Industry Act 2020 will be introduced into parliament in 2025. This will be informed by a full select committee process.
New Zealand’s decision to ban greyhound racing has been welcomed by the RSPCA, one of the leading charities in Great Britain’s Cut the Chase Coalition.
The RSPCA says that greyhound racing is not compatible with good health and welfare for the dogs. It quotes statistics from the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) that state that over 2,700 dogs had died or been put to sleep due to injuries relating to greyhound racing between 2018 and 2023.
There is an ongoing consultation in Wales about the future of greyhound racing, which is expected to conclude at the end of the year. The UK government has not launched a consultation in England.
Samantha Gaines, RSPCA dog welfare expert and chair of the Cut the Chase Coalition, said: “It’s wonderful to see the welfare of greyhounds at the very centre of this decision by the New Zealand government and we’d urge the governments in England and Wales to follow suit and do the right thing for animal welfare, and for the welfare of greyhounds here in the UK.”
The GBGB has shared its disappointment about the ban in New Zealand, and says that the decision emphasises the importance of its work to improve the welfare of racing dogs. It says that its continued improvements have lead to track fatalities continuing to decrease, with fatalities having halved since 2018.
Mark Bird, chief executive of the GBGB, said: “This is obviously very sad and distressing news for all those involved with the sport in New Zealand and will undoubtedly create a homing crisis despite the relatively small number of dogs involved. We will be offering any assistance we can to those involved.
“The ban follows three extremely critical government reports on canine welfare in New Zealand and thus reinforces the approach we have taken in the UK by being relentless in placing welfare at the heart of the sport from top to bottom. More than anything, however, this is a political decision which ignores the welfare improvements that are being made in New Zealand as well as the continued popularity of the sport and the strong evidence to support its continuation.”
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