Horse racing mistreatment sparks calls for national register, prosecutions

Racing industry figures want sweeping changes to treatment and tracking of retired racehorses.

Victoria’s racing minister Martin Pakula. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Racing industry figures have called for sweeping changes to the treatment and tracking of retired­ racehorses, warning that the “court of public opinion will bury racing” if no action is taken.

Queensland animal welfare authorities have launched an investigatio­n into the Caboolture abattoir featured on ABC TV’s 7.30 on Thursday night, with hidden­ camera video showing retired race horses being brutalised before being slaughtered.

Hall of Fame trainer Lee Freedman despaired over the footage on social media, tweeting: “I am broken hearted at the ABC report. If we don’t make real changes the court of public opinion will bury racing.”

Michelle Payne, the first woman jockey to win the Melbourne Cup, called for action. “Heartbreaking to watch!’’ she tweeted. “ I have two off the track thoroughbreds and (will) probably end up with a whole lot more. We need to make sure this stops!”

Champion trainer Chris Wal­ler­ said the industry must be more accountable. “Whether it’s direct­ly or not, we still need to be responsible for it and we’ve got to be accountable as to every horse that leaves our stable and obvious­ly there’s a gap that needs looking at,” he told RSN Racing Pulse.

Racing Australia CEO Barry O’Farrell. Picture: John Appleyard

Victorian racing authorities announced an audit of racehorses as government and industry leaders united to condemn the treatment of thoroughbreds that ap­peared mal­nourished with visible injuries at Mera­mist Abattoir.

The Queensland government sent inspectors to the abattoir on Friday. State Agricultural Industries Minister Mark Furner said Queensland had “the high­est standard of animal welfare in this country. If found guilty, a person can be prosecuted (and face a penalty of) up to seven years’ jail.’’

Queensland Racing Integrity Commissioner Ross Barnett acknow­ledged there had been prev­ious complaints relating to the abattoir, or transport to the abattoir, and said they had been referred to other agencies or investiga­ted without any adverse findings.

Racing Australia chief executive Barry O’Farrell said the national­ racing body had checks and balances but “no legal right or power” when it came to on-selling horses after retirement.

“Where are the state governments?’’ he said, adding that the indus­try had been a strong supporter of a national horse trace­ability register to “make it easier for state and federal welfare authorities to clamp down on the sorts of practices we saw last night’’.

Victorian Racing Minister Martin Pakula said racehorses should be tracked from birth to death: “The overwhelming major­ity of retired racehorses are rehomed, but it’s not possible for racing authorities to track the movement of those horses long after they have retired from racing­ — often after they have been rehomed multiple times.”

Racing Australia’s official data shows that 34 horses every year end up at slaughterhouses — less than 1 per cent of retiring racehorses. But 7.30 reported the number was much higher and claimed that up to 4000 horses were killed in one abattoir alone.