As long as greyhound racing exists, injuries and deaths will continue
It’s an unavoidable part of the industry.
Greyhounds are pushed to race at extremely high speeds around tight tracks, risking collision, placing enormous strain on their bodies and creating an inherent risk of serious injury.
Even with reform and welfare measures in place, the fundamental nature of racing means these risks can never be completely eliminated.
Injury rates are increasing in South Australia
This increase is a deeply concerning trend that calls into question the effectiveness of welfare measures and industry reforms.
Despite ongoing assurances that reforms are going to improve outcomes for greyhounds, the data shows a different story.
If reform was genuinely working as intended, we would expect to see a clear and sustained reduction in injuries.
Instead, the upward trend suggests the opposite is occurring.
*Injury data from the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds.
Major injuries continue to be a concern
During South Australia’s 2025 greyhound racing season, 1,064 injuries were reported. Of these, 316 were classified as “major injuries”… but what does that actually mean for the dogs involved?
Major injuries are serious, painful, and often catastrophic. They can include broken legs, spinal injuries, severe muscle tears, head trauma, and other conditions that may require extensive veterinary treatment and recovery periods of up to 90 days or more.
For many greyhounds, these injuries can be life-ending, with euthanasia often considered due to the severity of the damage sustained.
One of the most concerning issues is the lack of transparency surrounding the outcomes of these injuries. While injuries may be officially recorded, the long-term fate of the greyhound is not always publicly reported. Dogs who are euthanised days or weeks later due to complications from racing injuries may not be formally counted within racing death statistics.
This creates a significant gap in accountability and means the true number of greyhounds who lose their lives as a result of racing may be far higher than what is publicly reported.
Behind every statistic is a living animal who has suffered in an industry where serious injury is not an accident, it is an ongoing and unavoidable risk.
The jobs argument shouldn’t justify ongoing harm
We recognise that any transition away from greyhound racing would have an impact on those involved in the industry and the communities connected to it.
However, the available data in the Ashton Report shows that participation is not primarily driven by full-time reliance on the industry:
71% of trainers are hobby participants
22% are involved as part of a family activity
Only 6% rely on greyhound racing as their primary source of income
These figures indicate that for the vast majority, greyhound racing is not a sole livelihood, and a structured, well-planned transition is both realistic and achievable.
A managed phase-out plan would allow for appropriate support measures, including rehoming programs and industry transition assistance, while prioritising long-term animal welfare outcomes.
Serious Welfare Gaps Still Exist in South Australia
Even as the reform process is nearing completion, outstanding concerns at the seventh quarter reform report (April 2026) include:
No publicly accessible lifecycle tracking system for all greyhounds from birth through to retirement or death
Limited transparency around the whereabouts and outcomes for ex-racing greyhounds and unraced dogs (too slow or behaviourally unsuitable)
Inadequate follow-up of greyhounds rehomed to industry trainers / owners.
Lack of effective monitoring for serious welfare issues including live baiting.
No truly independent regulator to oversee animal welfare compliance without industry influence
Inadequate public reporting on key welfare data and outcomes
No guaranteed veterinary presence at all race meetings to ensure immediate and consistent animal care
No enforceable caps on breeding or controls on interstate movement of greyhounds, contributing to overproduction pressures
Over-reliance on the industry itself to monitor compliance with its own (minimal) welfare policies.
These are not minor administrative gaps, they are fundamental welfare and accountability measures that are still absent from the system. Without them, it is impossible to have full confidence that greyhounds are being properly protected at every stage of their lives.
If the current reforms are genuinely effective, the question remains: where is the evidence of improved welfare outcomes, reduced injuries, and greater transparency? Until these gaps are addressed, meaningful reform cannot be considered complete.
Stronger reform won’t fix the problems
Some argue that stronger reform can fix the greyhound racing industry.
However, evidence from other Australian states suggests that even with increased oversight and welfare measures, serious animal welfare concerns continue to persist.
In Queensland, despite the introduction of independent oversight and reform initiatives, major injury rates increased between 2020 and 2025. Concerns also remain around greyhounds being discarded, euthanised, and not experiencing acceptable welfare after racing.
In New South Wales, a 2025 parliamentary inquiry identified a range of ongoing systemic issues within the industry, including: overbreeding, lack of comprehensive lifecycle tracking, rehoming challenges and concerns around unwanted greyhounds being exported overseas.
These findings demonstrate that the issue is not simply a lack of regulation. Even in states with stronger oversight frameworks, greyhounds continue to suffer harm.
The reality is that the welfare risks are embedded within the structure of the industry itself. Greyhound racing relies on breeding dogs for speed and competition, placing them into inherently dangerous racing environments where injuries can’t be eliminated.
And in order to maximise race meetings and gambling revenue, it breeds more dogs than it can rehome. Animal welfare problems are part of the operating model of greyhound racing and cannot be eliminated through reform alone.
