Local greyhound owners say they’ll fight the NSW ban on greyhound racing.
Greyhound Racing NSW has suspended all non-TAB meetings, including Wauchope and Kempsey.
Banning the sport from July 1 2017, NSW Premier Mike Baird described a Special Commission report into greyhound racing as chilling, confronting and horrific.
The report found that between 48,000 and 68,000 dogs were killed in the past 12 years because they weren’t seen as competitive, and that live baiting is still done.
Greyhound owners here in the Hastings area are devastated by the ban.
Steven Baker from the Hatch at Blackmans Point asked what would happen to the thousands of greyhounds in New South Wales.
“I have got a litter of ten pups that I’ve just reared. I’ve spent $20,000 on them already, and it will cost $1,000 to register them. I also have a retired dog.”
Mr Baker acknowledged that there had been cruelty in the greyhound game over the years, but said the government was tarring everyone with the same brush.
“I adore my greyhounds. I’m happy for anybody to come and look at them, any time. The RSPCA are supposed to do kennel checks. In ten years, only one person has come to my place.”
Two Nationals MPs, Melinda Pavey and Kevin Humphries will join greyhound owners in Wauchope at a public meeting on Sunday to discuss what to do next.
It’s at the Hastings River (Wauchope) Greyhound Racing Club from noon.
Oxley MP Melinda Pavey said a tiny minority have caused utter devastation.
"What will be next? Will they ban horse-racing? There is another way forward. Give the industry another opportunity to come through this." she said.
Mid-North Coast greyhound breeder David Brasch says he can’t believe a government can shut down a $330 million industry, and that trainers hope to mount a legal challenge to the ban.
