NSW greyhound racing industry launches e-tracking system

Some protection groups are advocating for “birth-to-death” tracking.

Australia.- The New South Wales greyhound racing industry has introduced an e-tracking system to monitor racing greyhounds. The digital system, known as eTrac, has been gradually phased in over the past 18 months. Greyhounds are scanned and accounted for in an app-based database at check-in points.

Greyhound Welfare Integrity Commission (GWIC) chief executive, Steve Griffin, has expressed strong support for a system that becomes mandatory across the industry starting from today (November 1). He told The Guardian it will allow for annual accounting of every registered greyhound. Industry participants must scan their animals every 6 or 12 months at racing grounds or vet facilities.

While this initiative has garnered support, some advocacy groups have voiced their concerns regarding the system’s scope. The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG), led by director Fiona Chisholm, said the system focuses solely on registered and actively racing greyhounds, raising concerns about potential gaps in tracking for a broader demographic of greyhounds.

It called for a more comprehensive “birth-to-death” tracking system to ensure full transparency and accountability across the entire lifespan of greyhounds. Chisholm said: “There’s always the potential for greyhound puppies — that somebody decides don’t look right or that have a problem — to be gotten rid of at an early age.”

The CPG’s concerns extend to greyhounds after their racing careers have concluded. According to Chisholm, there are instances where “an industry participant will hand over greyhounds to somebody they know, to have them gotten rid of.”

Griffin said that enforcing life-long tracking was out of GWIC’s control but added the regulator was looking to expand the data that could be tracked by the system.

See also: Australian greyhound track criticised due to animal injuries