Greens Animal Welfare Spokesperson, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has responded to Racing Victoria’s announcement of a $25m “equine welfare” plan.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The racing industry is attempting to head off a meaningful scrutiny with nice-sounding words and the bare minimum in funding.
“Any move to improve animal welfare for horses is a step forward but the plan from Racing Victoria is not good enough. They’ve moved barely an inch after being exposed as an industry whose business model relies on the industrial scale slaughter of horses.
“The public has seen the horrific abuse and slaughter of racehorses and are rightfully demanding that the industry show responsibility, accountability and transparency.
“The racing industry must safeguard the wellbeing of the horses they breed for the whole of their natural lives.
“Racing Victoria’s plan to subsidise ‘on farm euthanasia’ shows the industry isn’t prepared to tackle their over-breeding.We must introduce breeding caps and give all racehorses a dignified retirement funded by the industry that breeds them.
“The Federal government must urgently establish a Royal Commission to lift the lid on the dirty secrets of this billion-dollar racing and gambling industry. A piecemeal approach by the states is not going to get to the bottom of what the industry knew and when,” she concluded.
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