NEW ZEALAND LAWMAKERS have announced that the greyhound racing industry will be banned, citing animal welfare concerns and the “unacceptably high” number of injured and dying dogs.

Minister for Racing Winston Peters said the industry would be phased out over the next 20 months, giving trainers the chance to rehome dogs.

“This is not a decision that is taken lightly but is ultimately driven by protecting the welfare of racing dogs,” Peters said in a statement.

New Zealand is one of a handful of countries that still permits commercial greyhound racing.

Greyhound Racing New Zealand said hundreds of trainers, breeders and industry employees now faced losing their jobs.

Non-profit Safe for Animals said there were 13 greyhound deaths during New Zealand’s racing season in 2023-24.

The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds has documented hundreds of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries on Australian tracks over recent years.

The Australian state of New South Wales moved to ban greyhound racing in 2017 but backed down after an industry backlash.

A shrinking number of tracks still run greyhound races in Ireland, Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Some 96 greyhounds were either euthanised or died of a racing injury on Ireland’s 15 operational greyhound racing tracks between January and the end of June 2024.

The figure is a sharp increase from the same period in 2023, during which 60 animals were either put down or died of a track-inflicted injury.

A total of €19.8 million will be provided to the dog racing industry in Ireland in 2025. The measure was approved as part of Budget 2025 by 109 TDs, while just 19 TDs voted against.

With additional reporting from Andrew Walsh