REALATED COVERAGE: Social license causes concern
- EDITORIAL
FORMER High Court judge Michael McHugh’s confronting report into NSW Greyhound racing should stand as the final wake up call to all animal-related industries.
If you didn’t hear the alarm after the long-running mulesing or live export controversies, state government’s scratching of the dog racing industry is the bucket of cold water to get you out from under the covers.
Australia’s animal welfare and husbandry practices are world-leading. We’re ahead of the pack and industry is working to take the public with us.
Dog racing is a different story. Mr McHugh found live baiting and other criminal behaviour is systemic.
Having said that, the industry contributes $90 million per year to NSW’s economy, with 1000 direct and 8000 indirect jobs. And it was flat-out banned – not wound down. It will be gone next year, even though it’s likely thousands of dogs will have nowhere to go.
And here’s the rub for farmers: Mr McHugh pointed out, any industry, no matter what, must answer to public opinion. And public opinion is increasingly changeable.
McHugh said wastage of unwanted Greyhounds, not just criminal behaviour, was unacceptable. And Premier Mike Baird took to social media to agree with him.
“The Greyhound racing industry has been exposed as an industry that… has failed to demonstrate that in the future it will be able to reduce the deaths of healthy Greyhounds to levels the community could tolerate,” Mr McHugh said.
The Land often details animal management practices and wastage that could, potentially, bring down a rain of bad publicity on a number of industries: Thoroughbred racing, bobby calves in dairy, male chicks in egg production.
But everything has a cost, and farmers are caught between the devil and deep blue sea trying to change their practices to meet loud lobby demands and keeping costs down to satisfy a price-sensitive market.
Clearly gaps in community attitudes toward animal welfare have opened up. You cannot ignore growing scrutiny on farming practices.
Poor animal welfare is not the only risk to industry. Previously accepted practices are subject to the whim of public opinion.
The farm sector, The Land included, must inform public opinion about the realities of primary production, rather than merely expect people’s attitudes to remain the same.
