Interesting reading. ANIMAL WELFARE IN VICTORIAN GREYHOUND RACING Wednesday 14 November, 2012 GRV appointed Dr Linda Beer as its full-time Animal Welfare Manager back in 2007. Dr Beer oversees the greyhound racing industrys many animal welfare initiatives and has focussed specifically on breeding practices within the industry with the aim of decreasing the number of litters bred, and increasing the quality of greyhounds whelped. Dr Beer also works to ensure participants comply with regulations and requirements relating to greyhound ownership and on educating the greyhound industry participants about their animal welfare responsibilities. As a result of these initiatives, over the past four years there has been a 20 per cent reduction in the number of litters bred and in the last two years, a 15 per cent decrease in the number of greyhounds euthanized in Victoria. GRV recognise the number of greyhounds euthanized is still too high and is continuing to develop and implement animal welfare initiatives aimed at further reducing these numbers. It is mandatory for all new greyhound trainers to attend an education session and undergo a kennel inspection prior to obtaining their license and GRV has mandatory competency requirements to qualify as a breeder or trainer both of which have a large animal welfare focus. All owners are encouraged to place their greyhounds in the Victorian Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) when they are no longer suitable for racing. Since GAPs inception in 1996, thousands of greyhounds have found homes as pets via this fantastic program. GRV is continually looking for more members of the public to adopt a greyhound, as the organisation believes greyhounds make fantastic pets due to their calm, placid and loving nature. GAP Victoria is the most successful industry run adoption program in Australia. The program is fully funded, operated and owned by GRV, at its dedicated adoption facility in Seymour. In addition, GAP runs programs such as the Prison Pet Partnership, where inmates at Dhurringile and Tarrengower prisons provide foster care, preparing greyhounds for their lives as pets. GRV rigorously enforces the requirement of owners to report when their greyhounds have been retired from racing, and retirement reporting is monitored every month by GRV staff. If a greyhound owner chooses to euthanize their greyhound they are required to supply GRV with a Veterinary Certificate of Euthanasia to ensure the practice has been done humanely. In 2005/6 the Responsible Breeding Task Force (RBTF) was established to address the issue of over-breeding of greyhounds. The RBTF put forward 17 recommendations all of which were endorsed by the GRV Board in 2008 and all of which are currently in place - either in their entirety or in a modified format. In 2012, GRV expanded the RBTF to create a new Animal Welfare Taskforce with a wider scope than addressing breeding practices alone. The Animal Welfare Taskforce sees representatives from the greyhound racing industry work together with bodies such as the RSPCA to suggest, develop, and prioritise new animal welfare initiatives. GRV introduced the mandatory micro-chipping of all adult greyhounds in 2011 to improve integrity within racing and to enhance traceability of all greyhounds through their entire lifecycle. GRV fully funded this endeavour and continues to heavily subsidise micro-chipping. To increase the number of racing opportunities for greyhounds with poor form or limited ability, GRV introduced Family Race Meets in 2007 which was expanded into Tier 3 racing in 2010. This immensely popular initiative is aimed at prolonging the racing career of greyhounds that may not have the ability to compete in some of the races in Victoria. GRV also supports other forms of racing such as Coursing and Veterans Races to allow greyhounds every chance of continuing their careers. Every race meeting in Victoria, whether it is Tier 1, 2 or 3, Coursing or Picnic Meeting is attended by an on-track Veterinarian to ensure greyhounds are fit to race and can receive timely care if accidents occur. GRV has a robust Integrity and Stewards department comprised of 36 staff responsible for upholding the rules of racing and ensuring standards of care are met. Over the past two years, GRV Stewards have conducted thousands of random and targeted kennel inspections all over the state. The number of inspections is set to increase in the future. The use of prohibited substances in racing is a serious matter, and GRV continues to expand and increase testing - pre-race, post-race and out-of competition. Working with GRVs testing laboratory - Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) - Stewards collected 3,133 samples in 2011 with a total of 22 positive swab results returned. The majority of positive results were for therapeutic drugs and despite regular testing, there were no positive swabs returned for erythropoietin (EPO). GRV is serious about providing an exciting racing product that values high standards in animal welfare and will continue to develop and implement strategies that ensure continual improvement across the Victorian greyhound racing industry.
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