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Sykes Report on TasRacing Animal Welfare
Media release – Tasracing, 26 September 2022
Tasracing Animal Welfare Review
Tasracing has received Dr David Sykes’ Animal Welfare Review it commissioned earlier this year.
A copy of the review is available via this link. Please note, personal information on pages 45-46 has been redacted for privacy reasons.
The review makes 83 recommendations.
While these recommendations are being appropriately and properly considered by Tasracing, an immediate analysis of the paper shows that six of the recommendations are already in place, while the implementation of a further 30 recommendations are already underway.
Further, some of the recommendations are informed by experiences in international jurisdictions and may not be relevant to Tasmania, but this will become clearer as the recommendations are reviewed in detail.
Regardless, Tasracing and the Tasmanian racing industry remain committed to transparency and industry performance reporting.
Tasracing acting chief executive officer Andrew Jenkins said the industry in Tasmania was well regulated and policed by the Office of Racing Integrity.
“Anyone in our industry who does the wrong thing is not only quickly identified but dealt with accordingly,” he said.
Mr Jenkins said while the Tasmanian racing industry had introduced a variety of relevant welfare reforms over recent years, there needed to be ongoing conversations around the welfare of racing animals.
“Tasracing and the industry accepts that there needs to be a consistent welfare focus going forward,” he said.
“It is within this context that Tasracing commissioned this work to independently assess our welfare-related programs and benchmark them against Best Practice.”
Media release – Kristie Johnston MP, independent Member for Clark, 27 September 2022
Racing Minister in denial over animal welfare
Today in Parliament, I asked the Minister for Racing, Madeleine Ogilvie, the following question;
Minister, I have finally received, after a lengthy RTI process, the David Sykes report into animal welfare, undertaken at the request of Tasracing.
The report makes 83 recommendations for improving the welfare of racing animals, noting there are significant structural, leadership and staffing concerns at both Tasracing and the Office of Racing Integrity.
In fact, the most alarming aspect of the report is that ORI did not participate in the consultation – AT ALL. To quote Mr Sykes on page 4:
“I was … unable to examine welfare data and statistics collected by ORI and could not make meaningful comparisons with similar data collected by other racing authorities. Additionally, I was unable to discuss welfare-related protocols that ORI has in place.”
Minister, ORI has racked up quite a list of failures:
It won’t even participate in a Tasracing internal welfare review.
It has turned a blind eye to licencing requirements for trainers, in flagrant breach of the Dog Control Act.
There are serious concerns over animal welfare enforcement.
Minister, can you really expect the community to believe that you take animal welfare seriously, when the Office of Racing Integrity, under your watch, failed to participate or provide data to a crucial report into racing animal welfare?
The Sykes Report is damning about the lack of focus or prioritisation of animal welfare at Tasracing and the Minister’s response today is a clear indication that this Government also puts commercial interests’ firsts and animal suffering last.
The lack of prioritisation is no better demonstrated by the fact that the Office of Racing Integrity, under the Minister’s watch, didn’t even participate in the report. This shows that the Minister is out of her depth and has lost control over her portfolio.
The Premier must act to replace this Minister with someone who listens to the concerns of the community and can at least read a report.
I find it interesting that the report was only released after I submitted a right to information request to Tasracing itself.
This was an opportunity for the Minister to step up and commit to real and meaningful change to improve the welfare of racing animals in Tasmania. Instead, the Minister has closed her eyes to the blatant suffering of these animals. She continues to have blood on her hands.
Media release – Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader and Animal Welfare spokesperson, 27 September 2022
Welfare Report Confirms Racing Industry Failing to Meet Basic Standards
The Sykes Report into animal welfare in thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing is another damning indictment on the industry.
The 83 recommendations are an admission the Liberals are failing on animal welfare in the racing industry.
Racing Minister, Madeleine Ogilvie, must table the government’s response to the Sykes Report as a matter of urgency. This is an industry where cruelty is subsidised by tens of millions of taxpayer dollars – Tasmanians deserve a response.
Many of the recommendations surround issues the Greens have raised. including traceability, whips, transparency, vets at tracks and input from welfare groups and rehoming organisations.
It remains our view, however, TasRacing can’t be allowed to police themselves. Animal welfare is too serious, and independent oversight is critical.
If the Office of Racing Integrity was truly independent and not driven by government policy, many of the report recommendations wouldn’t be necessary.
No clearer example of ORI’s oversight failure was their decision to allow greyhound trainer, Anthony Bullock to continue training and racing 100 dogs without a kennel licence.
If the Liberals remain committed to backing this unpopular, outdated industry, we urge the them to pursue every welfare reform to mitigate cruelty.
Media release – RSPCA, 27 September 2022
RSPCA CALLS ON RACING INDUSTRY TO IMPROVE ANIMAL WELFARE OUTCOMES
The RSPCA has welcomed the release today of the TasRacing Animal Welfare Review (the Sykes report).
“The findings of the report have reinforced many of the concerns that we have expressed over a long period of time,” Jan Davis, CEO of RSPCA Tasmania, said.
According to the expert report, ‘… there is a recognition from Tasmanian racing stakeholders that the advancement of welfare policies in the three racing codes in Tasmania have suffered from the absence of a consistent welfare focus within the organisation …’.
The report notes there are significant structural, leadership and staffing concerns at both TasRacing and the Office of Racing Integrity and makes 83 recommendations for improving the welfare of racing animals.
Ms Davis said that the RSPCA would need to give detailed consideration to the wide-ranging recommendations in coming weeks. However, there are some key recommendations that need to be given immediate priority.
“The report calls on TasRacing to consider rebranding to emphasise equine and greyhound welfare in any mission statement on corporate and media material to reflect (its) focus on the welfare initiatives,” Ms Davis said.
“TasRacing needs to publicly embrace the findings of this report – and early adoption of this recommendation will be a first step in recognising the need for change in attitudes to the welfare of racing animals.”
The report also recommends that TasRacing establish an Animal Welfare Board. Membership of this Board would include members of TasRacing personnel with portfolio responsibilities for animal welfare (eg stewards and vets), as well as representatives of industry greyhound and equine rehoming programs. Importantly, the Board should also include independent animal welfare expertise from the RSPCA and other welfare homing groups.
“Similar structures in other states have not only resulted in improved animal welfare outcomes, but also increased confidence in industry governance arrangements,” Ms Davis said.
One of the major criticisms the RSPCA and other animal welfare groups have made of TasRacing has been the lack of transparency with respect to industry data.
“We keep being told that the government and Tasracing are investing more money than ever before into greyhound and horse welfare, but no-one is prepared to provide actual details in a timely and transparent fashion. We simply do not have any means of judging whether or not this is the case. Even information as to what animal welfare programs the industry has and what investment is being made in these programs impossible to find.”
Ms Davis said that, without this information, it is impossible to test the accuracy of industry claims and hold them to account.
The report recognises that this is a real issue and recommends that Tasracing commit to developing a central database to upload and store information collected at all stages of racing’s greyhound and horse lives to then understand any welfare concerns and make meaningful decisions on those concerns.
“TasRacing needs to demonstrate its real commitment to improving animal welfare outcomes by publicly embracing these recommendations.”
Ms Davis said that there has been little visible progress towards implementation of the recommendations of the Monteith Report into the Tasmanian racing industry, which was released over 18 months ago.
“We stand willing to work with TasRacing to ensure the standards of animal welfare within the state are aligned with community expectations.”
“The RSPCA therefore urges TasRacing, the government, and the broader racing industry, to urgently take action to implement the recommendations of these expert reviews,” Ms Davis said.
Media release – Office of Racing Integrity, 28 September 2022
Tasracing Animal Welfare Report
Tasracing Pty Ltd released the Tasracing Animal Welfare Review (August 2022) report by Dr David Sykes on 26 September 2022.
The report includes a section on page 4, where Dr Sykes reported that:
‘The Office of Racing Integrity (ORI) were unable to provide a response due to resourcing limitations related to the Covid 19 pandemic. I was therefore unable to examine welfare data and statistics collected by ORI and could not make meaningful comparisons with similar data collected by other racing authorities. Additionally, I was unable to discuss welfare-related protocols that ORI have in place.’
The Office of Racing Integrity (ORI) did participate in the review process with the Director of Racing, the ORI Regulatory Veterinarian and the Racing Integrity and Stewards Manager all participating in interviews with Dr Sykes and through the supply of available information for all three codes of racing.
The Director of Racing has requested that this be clarified.