The Racing Integrity Board has charged three people including two trainers in relation to two greyhounds that had tested positive for methamphetamine.

SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe said it’s alarming that greyhounds are still testing positive for methamphetamine.

"There should be no situation where greyhounds come into contact with dangerous drugs," said Appelbe.

"Methamphetamine can cause muscle tremors, seizures, vomiting, and potentially death in dogs. It’s a serious animal welfare issue."

During the 2020/21 season there were five positive cases of prohibited substances. One was for caffeine, one for diclofenac (voltaren), one for ketoprofen and two for methamphetamine.

Last year, Greyhound trainer Angela Turnwald was disqualified for 18 months after her dog Zipping Sarah tested positive for methamphetamine in November 2020.

"Greyhound trainers have a duty of care to their animals. Since they’re breeding and racing animals for financial gain, they ought to be held to a higher standard. We wouldn’t accept positive drug tests like this in any other animal industry."

"This week, Kieran McAnulty was sworn in as the new Racing Minister. We hope he looks closely at these issues and recognises that this is an industry that has lost its social license. The only option now is to ban greyhound racing."

Notes:

- The Racing Integrity Board has issued two statements on its website in regards to the two charges for positive methamphetamine tests.

- Following a review of the greyhound racing industry, Grant Robertson, the previous Racing Minister, stated there are three fundamental issues that still need to be addressed; data recording, transparency of all activities, and animal welfare generally. He tasked the Racing Integrity board to identify a specific set of indicators over each of these areas that will be used to assess the industry’s progress, reporting back to the Minister before the end of 2022.

- In August 2021, Labour MP Priyanca Radhakrishnan accepted The Greyhound Protection League of New Zealand’s 37,700 signature-strong petition, calling for a ban on greyhound racing in New Zealand. SAFE had been supporting the petition since November 2020.

- Photos of dogs rescued by the Greyhound Protection League.

- Greyhound racing is legal in only seven countries. A ban in the Australian Capital Territory came into force in April 2018, followed by a ban in Florida, USA, in November 2018. Since Florida is home to 11 of the USA’s 17 active dog tracks, this is a signal that greyhound racing will soon become a thing of the past in the United States.

- Information about greyhound racing in Aotearoa.

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