Pressure is mounting on the agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, to toughen up federal legislation to stop greyhounds from being exported after an investigation uncovered appalling conditions faced by many animals sent to Asia.
The rules of racing imposed by the industry body, Greyhounds Australasia (GA), prohibits the export of greyhounds unless they have a permit, known as a passport. Passports are issued only if export countries meet Australian animal welfare standards.
But there is no federal legislation that makes their export illegal, and GA can issue passports only to breeders, trainers and exporters who are members of its industry body.
A joint investigation by Animals Australia and the ABC’s 7.30 program, aired on Wednesday, found that despite the rules scores of animals are being sent to Asia where they risk mistreatment and death.
Freedom of information documents obtained by the ABC show that nearly 170 animals were sent to the Middle East and Asia between January and August this year.
“With little or no animal welfare laws to protect them in these countries, greyhounds are routinely injured, mistreated and finally killed when they are no longer profitable,” the Greens senator Lee Rhiannon said. “The export ban announced by Greyhounds Australasia in 2013 has become a farce, with routine breaches and little or no enforcement effort. Breeders and trainers who ignore the ban and export dogs to prohibited countries don’t even risk a slap on the wrist.”
Heather Neil, chief executive of the RSPCA, said: “At the Canidrome in Macau, where 700 Australian greyhounds currently reside, 20% to 30% of the dogs are injured at any one time and on average 30 are killed every month. Greyhounds are also being exported to China where greyhound racing is an illegal practice.
“I have seen first-hand the conditions Australian greyhounds face at the Canidrome in Macau and it is nothing short of appalling. No animal should ever be subjected to that level of confinement or risk of injury and death.”
Greyhounds Australia has blamed the federal government, saying the industry was unable to enforce its rules.
“For the GA passport scheme to be effective, it requires government regulatory change,” the chief executive officer, Scott Parker, said. “While additional export controls add to regulatory burden, GA submits that the additional requirements are appropriate and necessary to safeguard animal welfare.
“Since 2005 GA has sought federal government intervention to stop the exportation of Australian greyhounds to destinations where that movement would be contrary to the greyhound’s best interests and the interests of the industry.
“In August 2014 GA wrote to [Joyce] seeking his personal commitment to strengthening commonwealth export control legislation to minimise the current risk to the welfare of Australian greyhounds and to Australia’s reputation as a responsible live animal exporter.
“The minister noted the federal government’s focus on removing regulation where possible and that they were not prepared to impose additional regulation without evidence of market failure and efforts by industry to resolve problems first.
“The government’s reluctance to act on industry and community concerns risks adverse welfare outcomes for exported greyhounds and threatens Australia’s standing as a strong advocate for animal welfare.”
Greyhounds Australasia has joined animal rights groups, Labor, the Greens and some independents asking Joyce to change the federal export control order to stop the export of greyhounds to countries that do not meet Australian welfare safeguards.
“The government could move to make the passport system mandatory for all exporters, but Barnaby Joyce won’t have a bar of it,” the opposition agriculture spokesman, Joel Fitzgibbon, said.
Rhiannon said: “Joyce must realise that this violates the common standards of decency that his constituents would expect. He needs to quickly intervene and give the export ban some legislative teeth.
“Dogs will continue to suffer until the industry export ban is enshrined in federal law and rigorously enforced.”
A spokesman for Joyce told Guardian Australia that the minister would continue to work with the industry on regulation, but rejected calls to make the passport system mandatory.
“State and territory governments are responsible for regulating the domestic greyhound racing industry,” the spokesman said. “The Australian government’s role is limited under the Export Control (Animals) Orders 2004 to issuing export permits and health certificates that assure the animal will meet the importing country requirements and export legislation.
“Once exported dogs reach their destination, they come under the jurisdiction of the importing country.
“The Australian government is committed to ensuring animals are exported in a manner consistent with community expectation, however the government does not have confidence that the regulatory model proposed by industry would address the welfare concerns as intended.
“Given the potential for exported animals to be further re-exported, it would be problematic for government to adopt the industry proposed passport system to regulate greyhound exports, or to simply ban exports to nations deemed unacceptable by animal welfare groups.”
Rhiannon and the independent MP Andrew Wilkie want an end to greyhound racing altogether.
“If the federal government genuinely cared about improving animal welfare they would have shut this industry down a long time ago,” Wilkie said. “Let’s hope that the federal minister listens to the enormous public outcry this time and acts immediately to end the cruelty.”
The greyhound racing industry is still smarting from revelations that emerged earlier in the year about the use of live animals to train greyhounds.
Several jurisdictions launched statewide investigations into the practice.
