Crampton on theft from greyhounds

Eric Crampton writes:

Legislation before Parliament bans greyhound racing over animal welfare considerations.  

Buying out the industry, shutting it down, and rehoming the dogs would seem right if you thought animal welfare warranted it. 

The legislation instead proposes shuttering Greyhound Racing New Zealand and an assortment of private racing clubs. Their net assets will be handed to a new Greyhound Racing Transition Agency. That Agency will wind down the industry and rehome dogs, with no requirement for compensating either dog owners or clubs.  

That is bad enough – zero compensation.

After the wind-down, the Transition Agency’s remaining assets will be redistributed – but not to anyone whose business was destroyed by the racing ban. Thoroughbred and harness racing codes get the proceeds instead, despite the deaths of fifteen horses last year and injuries to over three hundred more. I wish I were joking.  

Let’s put this plainly: The Bill proposes stealing the assets of greyhound clubs, using the money to cover some of the government’s costs in shutting down the sector, and handing anything left over to the Minister’s preferred horse racing codes.  

Some unenlightened folks might call it corruption that would embarrass even Springfield Mayor “Diamond” Joe Quimby.

This is just appalling. They steal from the greyhound clubs and give it to the horse racing clubs. If this was truly about animal welfare, they would give the assets to the SPCA. They would also not legislate so that horse racing clubs will make huge amounts of money from people betting on Australian greyhound races.

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