Letter to the Premier contains figures not seen by the industry

GREYHOUND breeding in New South Wales could be reduced by more than 80 per cent on its 2014 figures over the next four years, casting serious doubts on the sustainability of the industry.

The figures, outlined in a letter obtained by Australian Racing Greyhound, were sent to Premier and Deputy Premier Troy Grant by the NSW Greyhound Racing Industry 's .

Dated July 31, the letter provided a glimpse into the plan that convinced Premier Baird the industry was worthy of .

The plan for a sustainable greyhound industry included details on three key modelling changes:
– Decreasing the number of greyhounds able to be whelped via a restrictive quota system.
– A reduction in the number of race meetings to 17 per week in 2018, 2019 and further again by 2020.
– The introduction of a mandatory ownership responsibility for re-homing as well as doubling the investment in the (GAP) program by 2018.

Under these plans, the model showed 1,453 greyhounds would be whelped in the year 2020, a staggering reduction of 82 per cent based on the number whelped in 2014.

The modelling paints a different picture to that depicted by the alliance, with the industry to look significantly different in 2020 with much more pressure on trainers to lift standards of .

It could also potentially spell the death of the small-time trainer. Under the plan the industry would have to ensure:

– 493 greyhounds be retired and re-homed through programs such as GAP or other charities
– 719 retired and kept as pets by their trainer, owner or an unspecified ‘others'
– it also takes into account 716 greyhound deaths through natural causes or humanely euthanised.

The Alliance's proposal calculated a further 817 greyhounds need to be re-homed under new regulations which preclude them from being euthanised by their owner if they are healthy.

The Alliance put forward to the government that this regulation could be introduced immediately, with all owners of greyhounds retiring from racing that were not retired into the breeding program required to keep their dogs as a pet until the GAP is resourced to re-home 40 per cent of all these greyhounds.

The modelling sent to the government stated 40 per cent of re-homed greyhounds would be dealt with by GAP or charities. The remaining 60 per cent will be kept as pets by their owners, trainers or others.

In regards to the reduction of meetings, the Alliance proposed 22 meetings would be held per week in 2016 and 2017, with just 17 meetings a week from 2018 onwards and decreasing thereafter.

This equates to 850 meetings per year in 2018, with the Alliance suggesting the majority of venues could continue to be utilised, at least in the intermediate future.

The Alliance also suggested it would be happy to work with independent experts in order to achieve a total greyhound lifecycle management system, something theorised for many years, but never delivered upon.

Scott, the CEO of the NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association, is a member on the newly formed Greyhound Industry Reform Panel set to make a series of recommendations to the government on how to improve the welfare, and framework of NSW greyhound racing following the Premier's decision to reverse the controversial greyhound racing ban.

Our say

While the letter is dated on July 31, Australian Racing Greyhound believes it is important to highlight that a summary of the letter was published on the Alliance's website on August 8.

This summary failed to mention the precise facts and figures submitted to the Premier and Deputy Premier and merely presented a generic overview which did not detail what the industry was actually committing itself to.

We feel it is unsatisfactory for participants to not know what their industry is committing to the government – this letter should have been made public – not just a summary.

This is relevant now given that the terms of reference for the new Greyhound Industry have specifically cited they must incorporate the guarantees given to the government in a letter to the Premier on August 9, as well as a press release on the same date.

While it is unknown if this is the same letter received by Australian Racing Greyhound, the Alliance must publicly release all of its submissions to the Premier and Deputy Premier, not just a summary contained in a press release, so the industry as a whole can clearly see what expectations it has promised to meet.

This is pivotal so the industry is not kept in the dark. The figures in the letter detailed above cite the sustainability modelling tool by KPMG – another study which has not been made available to the industry.

It leads one to ask why the Alliance are not consulting with the industry on guarantees to government which will ultimately effect every man, woman and greyhound in this sport.

Now is the time for transparency – these documents must be released in full.

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GeoffWilson
GeoffWilson
7 years ago

Interesting to say the least.

MickThompson
MickThompson
7 years ago

GeoffWilson Agreed

BobWhitelaw
BobWhitelaw
7 years ago

Once again Kath your on the ball, “Transparency”  its a must for survival,  we, one and all are  the Industry ,not Alliance, they are just a tool of the process 

Deborah555
Deborah555
7 years ago

Will the horses have breeding quotas to reduce their wastage ????

BobWhitelaw
BobWhitelaw
7 years ago

Geoff  I mention the consequences of what the government and the alliance have put together for the future of the industry and you find it interesting to what point do you find it interesting. Geoff a lot of participants  are calling it the beginning of the end .Geoff please let me know if i’ve missed something.

Deborah555
Deborah555
7 years ago

BobWhitelaw  Bob I would have thought a man as clever and well read as you would know what ” interesting times” really means all out mayhem and hell. That was how I took Geoff’s comments. I know how passionate and dedicated you are to greyhound racing but as I said when the people that love you dearly tell you to pull your head in a bit it may not be that they disagree with you but that your wealth of knowledge may not be in the interests of greyhound racing on a public forum . There are people and obviously… Read more »

Deborah555
Deborah555
7 years ago

BobWhitelaw  PS the fact those revolting people at AA have misconstrued what you said and used it to their advantage  well we would expect nothing less from them their  millions in tax free donations are under threat because I think this debate has brought out ordinary decent people who are not involved in racing who have also had enough of animal activism. a gutful of them actually, they are seriously on the nose in NSW exposed for what they really are lunatics that need putting back in their padded cells.

MickThompson
MickThompson
7 years ago

BobWhitelaw I just think we are in trouble with who they are putting at the table for so called us we have to remember who has put Morris Lemma in that seat thats the start of the problems we are going to have.

Deborah555
Deborah555
7 years ago

MickThompson BobWhitelaw  Yes and the RSPCA are not a welfare organisation and for decades they have hated greyhound trainers and proved by supporting the ban they were happy to see at least 19,000 greyhounds end up on their death row they should not be there as well as- their obvious take over by animal activism which has led to far less animals being rehomed and more put down because they now believe when they were questioned about how few were rehomed the response was ” we have more important things to do” what like trying to make everyone on the planet… Read more »

Deborah555
Deborah555
7 years ago

Deborah555 BobWhitelaw  Bob I got a great laugh the other day when some-one involved in the Sydney Dogs and Cats hpme ( the usual middle aged north shore housewife with nothing better to do with her time now the kids have left home) told a SMH reporter she thought Wentworth Park was a good site for their new animal shelter. I could just see a heap of property developers laughing so much they would have had tears rolling down their cheeks- how do these people get air time?

BobWhitelaw
BobWhitelaw
7 years ago

Deborah555 BobWhitelaw Deborah I wonder how this middle aged north shore  housewife would react to major developments on the North Shore ,such as six lane expressway  from the Harbour Bridge  up to Palm Beach with a Bridge over to the Central Coast  with a Train Line to match,( it was once on the agenda)  another sewage treatment works, a larger new Jail , a new animal shelter,  and a new race track for those north shore elite that spends millions for Race Horses , then maybe  they would leave us alone.

BobWhitelaw
BobWhitelaw
7 years ago

Deborah555 BobWhitelaw Deborah totally agree.

Deborah555
Deborah555
7 years ago

BobWhitelaw Deborah555  Yes Bob hypocrites and stupid ones at that. If the horse people’s idea of a forever home is a can with PAL written on it why not greyhounds with “Chinese delicacy” written on the label of the can – new export industry. I cannot believe just how hypocritical some of these turds are.

Deborah555
Deborah555
7 years ago

BobWhitelaw  PS have you seen Miranda Devine’s article at the tele about the RSPCA it is a beauty and boy are they coping a caning.

Todman
Todman
7 years ago

And those that said leave the Alliance alone,how do you feel now if this is correct.?

BobWhitelaw
BobWhitelaw
7 years ago

Todman  The question i ask , does 50 grand  get me a seat on the Alliance ? Todman the momentum of this alliance has wane with most participants

D123
D123
7 years ago

According to the article that means that 8,072 greyhounds were whelped in 2014.  John Keniry could only find 19,000 greyhounds all up.
So basically the industry is not sustainable unless you are allowed to kill thousands of greyhounds every year.

Todman
Todman
7 years ago

Troll, go back to your cave, you troglodyte

Todman
Todman
7 years ago

Does anyone feel the Alliance is on the right track? I suggest Goulburn must be a centre of excellence to take the place of Canberre. Obviously in their flight to save the industry the Alliance has thrown us under the bus, something I feared all along, Deborah555 what are your thoughts as a strong supporter or Benedict Scott.

D123
D123
7 years ago

This is going to be better than an outright ban.
Everyone here knows that greyhound racing is only viable when the industry can get away with killing thousands of greyhounds it no longer needs.

Deborah555
Deborah555
7 years ago

Todman Todman –  Well the ban has been overturned and so far so good we just need to let him know which direction to go in now and I was right about John Keniry wasn’t I Todman I knew he would not just do what Baird wanted. I will admit maybe Mr Scott needs to lift his game if you admit I was right about Keniry and you were wrong and if Mr Scott does not do a good job I will admit I was wrong. Fair deal?  I also feel it is important that in public we all stick together… Read more »

John Tracey
John Tracey
7 years ago

Deborah555 BobWhitelaw Hi Deborah, Noticed that Miranda’s article shows an high level inquiry in Victoria determining the RSPCA’s Thanks the article shows the reference to the legal role of the RSPCA (immediate prevention of cruelty) You were attempting to reference earlier.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/the-rspca-cares-more-about-political-activism-than-animal-welfare/news-story/d2a6ddc43f2e8d370efc6d15b85dff41?utm_content=SocialFlow&utm_campaign=EditorialSF&utm_source=DailyTelegraph&utm_medium=Twitter

spyman
spyman
7 years ago

statistics,figures accurate or not,agreements between alliance group and government,in my eyes,are a damn waste of space and not worth reading or even commenting upon.this is the biggest shambles I have ever seen,and the greyhound industry needs to continue its drive in the courts,and continue its dismantling of the LIBERAL.NATIONAL parties in bi -elections,to get the result that the majority of people within the industry ,need to survive. this is such a corrupted government that no one can have any confidence in the slightest positive action by it,and until it is removed from power,you people are fodder for BAIRDS maniacal ways.the… Read more »

BobWhitelaw
BobWhitelaw
7 years ago

John Tracey Deborah555 BobWhitelaw As Miranda stated there is a Conflict of interest here, you  have this government funded regulator on Animal welfare ,while actively campaigning against government policy? The conflict of interest is especially acute when you consider the Greyhound Racing Ban would have signed the Death Warrant  of at least 10.000 dogs Its funny they don’t mention (the RSPCA) is a million industry with a private and privileged role as a private charity. A former staffer stated  that euthanising of animals is a daily event and the method they use is cruel and some staff are  being paid less then… Read more »

Todman
Todman
7 years ago

17 people read this max, so I don’t think this is really a public forum, Dr Canary certainly sang a different tune once it was clear the ban would be lifted, now I think his report was convenient for Baird, now I also admit I am a cynic, but my theory is plausible. As for Mr Scott the jury is still out but again Imfeel he has let the industry dow.

I hope the court cases continue and we get this fairy tale thrown out for what it was absolute bull/:;(

Deborah555
Deborah555
7 years ago

Todman  Todman I think it is obvious that we are on the same side. The only thing I disagree with is 17 people- they are just the people who post -heaps more listen and the reporters check in according to John and if he says it well then it must be true. No one is more cynical than me but my public face is one of support for everyone in the greyhound world regardless of how I really feel about them personally. Whilst I am more than happy to attack animal activiists in fact to be honest I quite enjoy baiting… Read more »

John Tracey
John Tracey
7 years ago

spyman NSW greyhounds need to do more than be cannon fodder for the other states safety. The viability of greyhound racing in NSW is associated with the Future Fund and the greyhound application to it. The Future fund is not tied to code percentage agreements within the inter code contracts and the Government can decide payments independent of contracts on a social licence basis.

Todman
Todman
7 years ago

In Queensland one ordinary 2 year old maybe just better than ordinary to be fair ROYAL TITHE won ,000 in QTS bonuses whilst several hundred greyhounds got SFA, fairness, I think not

Burntice
Burntice
7 years ago

D123 are you a natural born moron…or did you work to achieve the position?

D123
D123
7 years ago

D123 What, no pathetic attempts to deny that the industry kills thousands of greyhound in NSW each year?  I guess its a bit hard to do it when the numbers are right there in front of you.

John Tracey
John Tracey
7 years ago

Deborah555 Todman If the Australian Racing Greyhound had only a small influence none of us being serious people would contribute so much to it. My strength, weakness or conceit as people are entitled to see it , is that I am not cynical. This allows me to believe that the majority of people in any enterprise are well intentioned. I believe in the democracy snd in the greyhound culture , so I was never worried about the final result, my concern was the damage that might have been done on the way there. I had an argument with one of the… Read more »

Deborah555
Deborah555
7 years ago

John Tracey Deborah555 Todman  I have learnt a hell of a lot from you John Tracey about all sorts of things other than greyhound racing as well I might add – and all the other good people who I have “met” on this site. It is always good to have different people with different ideas and strategies to fight a cause everyone has their roles and we are all very glad you are on our team John  beautiful man  and clever as all get go as well.

ShannonBoyd
ShannonBoyd
7 years ago

These are very simmilar to what the JWG put forward in their plan to move the industry forward.In this reporter was/is on the JWG

http://www.grnsw.com.au/uploads/JWG Final Report.pdf

ShannonBoyd
ShannonBoyd
7 years ago

3.4.2 Introduce annual breeding volume limits and a quota system