Australian Greens Animal Welfare spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that commercial horse racing is a cruel industry that cannot be trusted or fixed, following reports that retired racehorses continue to be slaughtered for pet food at knackeries in NSW.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson for Animal Welfare, said:
“The gambling-fuelled racing industry cannot be trusted or fixed. It’s time is up. We have to shut it down.
“Over the years we’ve had assurances from racing authorities that they would take animal welfare seriously. More investigations, more commitments. There is no evidence that they have learned a single thing.
“Every horse racing authority in the country should be looking at this and hanging its head in shame. There is systemic failure here.
“Victorian authorities can start by doing the right thing and cancelling next week’s Melbourne Cup, where horses continue to die at the racetrack.
“Whether it’s on the track or at the slaughterhouse, no horse deserves to die for a flutter or because they no longer turn a profit.
“Horse traceability is an important piece of the puzzle. But federal and state governments continue to drag their heels on setting up a national traceability register, which the Senate inquiry I established recommended almost a year ago.
“We have no reason to believe that the latest investigations will result in anything other than another broken promise that things will change. It’s time to end commercial horse racing,” she said.
