Welfare officers may get the power to jump over locked gates to search isolated Victorian training facilities at any time to catch rogue trainers who continue to use live animals to "blood" greyhounds.
Greyhound Racing Victoria's board has resigned despite being cleared of knowing about a practice that's been going on for generations.
Victoria's racing integrity commissioner Sal Perna wants GRV's animal welfare officers to get increased powers to track down the small group who illegally use live baiting to train greyhounds.
Mr Perna said it's generally accepted in the industry that live baiting has occurred and industry insiders say it's still happening, despite there being no direct evidence of it beyond a private Tooradin training facility.
"There's a general acceptance that it's part and parcel of the culture of the industry going back generations," Mr Perna said on Wednesday.
"The weight of information from industry participants indicates that the practice continues to occur as a clandestine method of educating, breaking in and training of greyhounds for racing."
He said it would be naive to accept the practice is not, and has not been, occurring at other Victorian sites aside from the Tooradin Trial Track where animal liberationists filmed live animals being used on greyhound lures.
He said that premises was checked 19 times in the past few years but GRV's animal welfare officers can only do inspections during business hours and their cars are easily spotted as soon as they arrive at the often isolated trial tracks.
"It's reasonable to come up with the conclusion that they couldn't have detected it."
Another four welfare compliance officers are being added to the current two but Mr Perna wants them to be able to conduct unannounced visits at any time and jump locked gates if necessary to search a premises.
Mr Perna's interim report found no evidence the GRV board, CEO or senior management knew live baiting was occurring, despite a general perception that certain people in GRV knew about it by virtue of their relationship with those in the industry.
"There is also no current evidence to substantiate the allegations that there was corruption or a `cover up' at GRV in regards to live baiting at Tooradin or elsewhere," he said.
But the GRV board followed their former chairman Peter Caillard and NSW counterparts in stepping down.
GRV interim chair Michael Harms said it was disgraceful and unacceptable that a small number of people had behaved so heinously.
"It is our firm view that the vast majority of those involved in greyhound racing in Victoria are good, honest people who treat animals with respect," he said.
Racing Minister Martin Pakula said Mr Harms recognised that "at the end of the day the buck stops with the board".
Fifteen people remain suspended amid investigations but Mr Perna said Victorian authorities were behind those in NSW and Queensland in imposing sanctions for live baiting.
"There's no grey in there. It's black and white. If you do this, you're out."
Share
