This petition requests that the House take note that the number of greyhounds that are euthanised each year should be recorded by law in the same way that the SPCA are required to record the numbers of animals euthanised under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 section 142, and that the House support this request.

I believe that it should be mandatory for the greyhound racing industry to record the number of greyhounds euthanased each year both on and off the track.

Currently, the only organisation that is ‘approved’ and required by law to record the number of animals euthanased under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 is the SPCA.

Section 142 of the Animal Welfare Act 1999 states the following:

142 Obligation to maintain register

(1) An approved organisation must record in a register the numbers and types of animals sold, re-homed, destroyed, or otherwise disposed of under section 141, and include in that register, in relation to each animal,—

(a) particulars of the date when custody of the animal was obtained and of the date when the animal was disposed of; and

(b) a record of whether the animal was sold, re-homed, destroyed, or otherwise disposed of.

(2) The records in relation to each animal must be kept for at least 1 year after the date on which the approved organisation obtained custody of the animal."

It is critical that Greyhound Racing New Zealand are required by law to record the number of deaths of greyhounds as they are an industry that is involved in the welfare of animals. The greyhound racing industry has no transparency regarding the numbers of dogs that are involved in racing as well as those that are euthanised due to lack of performance or injury with statistical information not made public. They should be registered as an approved organisation and should be required to meet the same mandatory regulations as the SPCA.