Greens Spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Senator for NSW Dr Mehreen Faruqi, has responded to reports the federal Agriculture Minister has asked states to consider a national horse register at today’s meeting of agriculture ministers.
Senator Faruqi said:
“I established the inquiry into a national horse traceability register to help prevent the kind of shocking cruelty we saw on our screens last week.
“The Greens were the first to champion a birth-to-death horse register, but any register must provide real transparency and real teeth.
“It’s good to see some movement from the Minister, but it’s not good enough to just ask states to consider a national horse register. No more buck passing.
“Minister McKenzie must step up and the Federal Government should lead on a national register without shifting responsibility to the states who have a poor record on animal welfare.
“The billion-dollar racing industry relies on breeding thousands of horses purely for their gambling profits through racing. They have completely abdicated their moral and financial responsibility to guarantee those horses a good life. A horse register will help change that.
“Tracing horses throughout their lives will solve part of the problem. We need strong enforcement and strong animal welfare laws as well. The Greens have long advocated for an independent office for animal welfare which can do this.
“At the end of the day, the racing industry’s neglect of racehorses and their attempts to mislead the public demand a Royal Commission to lift the lid on an industry that has long escaped scrutiny,” she concluded.
Skip to content