The Board of peak industry body Greyhounds Australasia (GA) has endorsed a new national approach to help ensure continued improvement in greyhound welfare outcomes.

The national approach has been adopted as a result of the joint Greyhound Welfare strategy announced by Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) and Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW) in February. The industry will now benefit from a more effective flow of information between states and territories and will work together to achieve Australia-wide welfare objectives.

GA CEO Scott Parker said the decision was a big win for the industry.

“GA and its members are absolutely committed to achieving the best possible welfare outcomes for its greyhounds. The industry is aiming to achieve the best greyhound welfare outcomes in the world and this national approach is a really important step in realising that ambition.

“The industry already has nationally endorsed health and welfare standards and the vast majority of our owners, breeders and trainers treat their greyhounds with great respect. However, with many greyhounds moving regularly from state to state, regulating national welfare outcomes has been difficult,“ Mr Parker said.

As outlined when the joint GRV/GRNSW strategy was announced in February, the new national approach will see:

• Higher levels of education for trainers and breeders including a requirement for all new participants to be assessed on core competencies before obtaining or upgrading a licence 
• Tighter breeding regulation controls and the promotion of more responsible breeding practices 
• A requirement for all greyhounds to be under the care of a registered participant at all times during their lifecycle, unless retired as a pet 
• Improved inspection and compliance requirements on greyhound properties 
• A star rating system to be introduced for all greyhound facilities at which greyhounds are housed during their lifecycle 
• A tiered trainer licence system which will stipulate how many greyhounds a trainer can train 
• Ongoing enhancements to each of the state’s Greyhound Adoption Programs to maximise the re-homing opportunities for retired greyhounds 

New measures to maximise racing opportunities and ensure all greyhounds have the ability to reach their full potential Over the coming months, GA will oversee an industry-wide engagement process to ensure the implementation detail of the initiative is appropriate for each jurisdiction.

Details of the strategy can be found by clicking here