Begins/

RE: NSW Greyhound Racing Ban reversal

While racing participants are celebrating the reversal of the ban on greyhound racing in New South Wales Australia, animal welfare advocates in New Zealand are largely unmoved.

Spokesperson for the Greyhound Protection League Aaron Cross describes the change as “De Facto Prohibition”.

“The new agreement requires such a significant reduction in breeding that breeding establishments will turn on each other in pursuit of the far fewer breeding opportunities that will be available”

“A weakened industry with heavy restrictions will make it unviable for most”. He says.

“Keeping the industry running at reduced capacity also forces the onus of rehoming greyhounds back onto the industry rather than onto the community”

“Industry participants have stated they would cull their greyhounds in the face of an outright ban”

“It’s an industry driven by greed and cruelty” Mr Cross said.

Government interest in the welfare of greyhounds carries far more weight than the concerns of members of the community and Mr Cross describes this as the catalyst for eventually abolishing the industry.

“This is yet another “last chance”. But we predict participants will again fail greyhounds and fail the people, because the simple fact remains- you cannot operate this as a financially viable industry without killing and harming the animals it uses.”

Mr Cross says that if the New Zealand government applied the same philosophies that led to this ban being lifted, the New Zealand industry would no longer be viable for industry professionals.

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