Of course, we as a thoroughbred industry must also look at our practices and consider what changes we need to make on the back of this investigation. Most importantly, we urgently need to establish a national industry taskforce to deal with the welfare of our animals. Loading This must include all stakeholders: from breeders through to racehorse owners, trainers, administrators and the many people who do important work retraining racehorses when their career on the track is over. This taskforce should also include independent welfare experts and be transparent in its findings. On Friday I contacted almost all the breeders whose animals featured in the 7.30 report. All were shocked that animals they had raised and cared for should be mistreated, and none of those farms had sent those horses directly to an abattoir or livestock sale. The route of those horses arriving at an abattoir, where it was known by the breeder, often involved being sold for racing and then its ownership being transferred a number of times. This highlights perhaps the biggest challenge we face in breeding and racing. What happens to a horse when it is transferred out of our industry? What happens when it leaves the jurisdiction of racing’s regulators?

At present, there is no formal traceability of a horse after it is retired and sold out of racing. Loading There is currently a Senate inquiry into establishing a national traceability scheme for all horses. My organisation, Thoroughbred Breeders Australia, along with Racing Australia, has supported the creation of a model that will register who owns every horse and record where that animal is being kept. That registry would be important in ensuring that every owner of every horse provides a minimum standard of care. I urge the Senate committee to make its recommendations as quickly as possible. I have no doubt that the overwhelming majority of people in the industry, such as breeders, trainers and owners, care deeply for their horses.

In breeding and racing there is already a strong regulatory framework that should ensure administrators know where a horse is at all times. The 7.30 program suggested there may be shortcomings in that data collection and, if true, that needs to be addressed. Loading There is a lot of good work being done to find homes for retired racehorses or horses that are not suitable to go into training. In NSW and Victoria, 1 per cent of prizemoney is set aside for welfare, much of this going towards re-homing. But as part of an industry review we need to ask ourselves whether there is enough being done to create pathways for horses to enjoy a rewarding or meaningful second career. We also need to acknowledge that some of the people who have taken racehorses in the past may be struggling to care for them while much of rural and regional Australia deals with the most crippling drought in history. This makes the ongoing care of a thoroughbred a financial burden beyond many people.