The welfare of Victoria’s greyhounds will be improved and systems made more transparent thanks to the Allan Labor Government’s support for the new Whole of Life Digital Tracking Program.
Minister for Racing Anthony Carbines today announced more than $2 million in funding for the program, which will take the location and health of registered greyhounds and record it on one consolidated digital platform from birth, throughout their racing career and into retirement and rehoming.
This will improve animal welfare by ensuring transparent and accurate accounting of every Victorian greyhound at all stages of their lifecycle.
Tracking information will include details on birth, microchipping, vaccinations, trainers, ownership and more. Information will be captured directly from owners, trainers, vets, greyhound racing clubs and other GRV staff to build a greater understanding of a greyhound’s medical history throughout their life.
This data is currently collected manually and sits across multiple platforms, requiring significant effort to maintain records and preventing people from viewing a greyhound’s status in real-time. This new platform will eliminate the need for these manual processes.
The Government is providing more than $1.6 million to the project, with GRV also contributing $418,000. This investment delivers on the Government’s commitment to implement a whole of life digital tracking system for greyhounds.
Design and planning for the program is currently underway, with the new system expected to be rolled out in phases.
The greyhound racing industry in Victoria generates $643 million for the economy and helps sustain more than 4,700 full-time equivalent local jobs.
As stated by Minister for Racing Anthony Carbines
“We are backing Greyhound Racing Victoria to improve its oversight of a greyhound’s health throughout their life, as part of our work to continually improve welfare outcomes for all animals.”
“This system will revolutionise the way that registered greyhounds are tracked across the industry, providing real-time updates on the status of an animal at every key touchpoint.”
As stated by Greyhound Racing Victoria Chief Executive Officer Stuart Laing
“The digital greyhound tracking program will leverage existing capability and programs and introduce a suite of opportunities to increase the number of check-in points required for the tracking of registered greyhounds throughout their life.”
“With the support of the Victorian Government, this program will further improve GRV’s capabilities to monitor, track and assure the welfare of Victorian greyhounds.”
