Greyhound racers have slammed the report that triggered the sport's ban in NSW as biased and seriously flawed.
Commissioner Michael McHugh's report into the greyhound racing industry relied on terms of reference that were outdated, inappropriately narrow and biased, the NSW Greyhound Racing Industry Alliance said on Friday.
The group, which is angered by claims the industry is too sick to recover, has presented a rebuttal to the NSW government, detailing alleged factual errors in the report.
The report's finding that up to 20 per cent of trainers were using live baiting was based on a single testimony, the rebuttal says.
Only 14 of the 4400 registered trainers in the state had appeared before the commission to provide information, it says, adding that Commissioner McHugh's report appeared to be focused on the closure of the industry.
"It is clear the report does not take into consideration the changes the industry has made in the last 16 months," says Brenton Scott, executive director of the Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers' Association.
The greyhound industry says the number of greyhounds being bred has nearly halved during the past year, and injury rates are lower than reported.
"Every other Australian state is reforming and improving greyhound racing. Why can't the NSW industry be given a fair go to reform and improve?"
The industry also challenged the legality of the ban, as it is based on the concept that the industry had run out on its "social licence" by perpetrating animal cruelty.
"It appears the premier has based his decision on the industry's supposed loss of `social licence' and yet there is no legal application to the concept," Mr Scott said.
He warned that racers and trainers who had been denied procedural fairness would be able to sue the government for damages.
The industry's response follows a formal meeting with Premier Mike Baird and Deputy Premier Troy Grant in Sydney last week.
Premier Mike Baird said he had no choice but to scrap the sport after an inquiry found up to 68,000 "uncompetitive" greyhounds had been slaughtered in the past 12 years and nearly one in five trainers used live animal baits.
The NSW government says it's received the report and will consider the contents.
The racing industry's response comes days after an independent report released to Greyhound Racing NSW found that at least 99 greyhounds had been killed and buried in a mass grave at a Hunter Valley training track between 2009 and 2013.
