Racing NSW chief Peter V'landys suing ABC over horse slaughter exposé
The state's horse racing leader wants the ABC to hand over viewer reactions to an investigation into thoroughbred killing alleging the national broadcaster painted him as indifferent to the horrific slaughter.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Police bust yacht with hundreds of kilos of drugs off NSW coast
- Authorities recommend parole for 'horrifying' Ashfield gang rapist MAK
Lawyers for Racing NSW’s chief want to read viewer comments to calculate how much his reputation was allegedly damaged by an ABC program that showed race horses slaughtered in knackeries.
The 7:30 segment entitled The Final Race, which aired in October 2019, alleged hundreds of Australian racehorses were being sent to the slaughter in Queensland and NSW.
Chief Executive Peter V’landys AM fronted 7:30s cameras on behalf of Racing NSW where he said the practice wasn’t known to be happening in NSW.
Stomach-turning covert videos of horse slaughter in Queensland and allegations of illicit killings in NSW were also presented into the program.
The racing chief is suing the ABC in the Federal Court saying the program made him look as though he “callously permitted the wholesale slaughter” of horses.
That’s because, his lawyers allege, the ABC did not disclose they had already obtained the undercover footage before his interview.
That alleged omission, they say, deprived the racing chief a chance to explain his organisation has no sway over Queensland where the mass killings were taking place.
Mr V’landys’ lawyers say the program depicted him as ignoring horse deaths in Queensland abattoir because he was indifferent to their suffering.
They argue The Final Race also painted him as dishonest when he said NSW wasn’t slaughtering horses.
His lawyers say he was defamed and his reputation brought into public disrepute, ridicule and contempt and the ABC has not apologised.
The Federal Court, on Monday, heard Mr V’landys’ legal team wants the ABC to hand over the reaction of its audience to The Final Race, including any letters or online comments viewers may have made.
Those comments, the court heard, "could go to damages” dealt against his reputation.
Racing NSW responded to the investigation in a statement on its website saying Mr V’landys “unequivocally condemned the alleged abhorrent actions” of the Queensland slaughterhouse.
Racing NSW explained their state is the only one that prohibits industry horses - who have predominantly lived in NSW - from being sent to a knackery.
They said 12 of the 14 horses identified by the ABC as dying in NSW knackeries had predominantly lived out of state or been rehomed as pleasure horses so were, in either case, beyond Racing NSW jurisdiction.
“No Rule is foolproof and in the racing industry, as in any other element of the community, there is unfortunately 1% of participants who will break the rules despite 99% doing the completely right thing,” the statement said.
“NSW immediately commenced investigations into the allegations made by the ABC and will prosecute any person that Racing NSW has jurisdiction over that has breached the Rules of Racing and sent a horse to a knackery.”
The case will return to court on July 9.