Australian Greens Animal Welfare spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to the death of the Melbourne Cup racehorse Anthony Van Dyck.
Senator Faruqi said:
“This is the brutal reality of horse racing. Anthony Van Dyck’s death is a tragic but hardly unforeseeable outcome. Seven horses have now died as a result of the last eight Melbourne Cup races.
“Horse racing is deadly and completely inhumane. We need to shut this industry down.
“Killing horses for entertainment is barbaric. There is no place for commercial horse racing in our society.
“Horse racing and gambling is a toxic mix of death and misery for animals. There are no winners.
“The gambling-fuelled racing industry cannot be trusted or fixed. Last week I called on the Victorian authorities to cancel the Cup. Of course they pressed ahead with the race, but now, frankly, they have blood on their hands.
“Year after year we see horses die at the Melbourne Cup. No horse is safe in this race.
“It’s time to recognise that horse racing is completely incompatible with animal welfare. These are beautiful animals, sentient beings, who are treated as fodder for the profits of the gambling and racing industries,” she said.
