Australia's greyhound racing industry is in turmoil after a Four Corners report revealed conclusive evidence of live baiting during secret training sessions.

Monday night's program showed footage of live piglets, possums and rabbits being fixed to mechanical lures and catapulted around tracks while being chased, and eventually killed, by dogs.

One clip from the footage, secretly filmed at training tracks in Queensland and Victoria, showed dogs being allowed to attack a writhing possum suspended from a lure.

Another clip showed a possum flung around a track 26 times at high speed. When the lure stopped 56 minutes later, the possum had been snapped in half and was only attached to the lure by its spinal cord.

Live baiting has been banned and criminalised for decades, but trainers and owners across the country have been using the illegal training method in the belief that it will improve a dog's performance.

The RSPCA, in conjunction with police in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, raided five properties on Wednesday last week after the Four Corners program, in conjunction with Animals Australia and Animal Liberation Queensland, confidentially handed over the results of its investigation into the sport to the state-based RSPCAs more than a fortnight ago.

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As a result, the sport's regulators suspended 22 people for using rabbits, possums and piglets. If found guilty, they face substantial fines and up to five years' jail.

"The screaming of terrified piglets and rabbits as they were flung around the track is spine-chilling, but equally so, was seeing trainers completely unmoved by the suffering of these animals," Animal Liberation Queensland's Hayley Cotton said in a statement.

"Those involved don't even put suffering animals out of their agony, they just use them again and again while they remain alive."

In its exclusive report, Four Corners revealed how trainers and owners across the country, working in concert with licensed trial track operators, are training their dogs using banned methods and engaging in illegal activity.

This behaviour constitutes cheating under the laws of greyhound racing.

Tracking dogs and their trainers from private training facilities and on to official race meets and using undercover investigators to infiltrate the industry, the program discovered the integrity of potentially thousands of races and millions of dollars in prize money is now in question.

Sorry, this video has expired GRAPHIC FOOTAGE: Possum used as bait for greyhounds at Tom Noble's property

Lyn White from Animals Australia said 70 people were implicated in the investigation, including leading identities.

"It's not only the numbers of trainers involved, it is their stature in the industry," she said in a statement.

"The 70 individuals implicated include: one of the highest profile and most successful trainers in the country; the president of a greyhound racing club; a former steward; the president of a peak body and one of the of most prolific pre-trainers of greyhounds in Australia."

Aware that the Four Corners program was set to air, Greyhound Racing NSW, Greyhound Racing Victoria, and Racing Queensland, the sport's statutory regulators, moved to suspend more than 20 trainers, owners and trial track operators late last week.

In another attempt to pre-empt the program, on Sunday, Racing Queensland announced a $1 million taskforce to combat live baiting and other allegations of cruelty.

But the regulators' attempts to act raise further serious questions about their ability to fulfil obligations and adequately police the sport in addition to carrying out their dual role as the sport's promoter. Australians are now wagering a staggering $4 billion on the sport annually.

"Nothing mitigates the disgraceful behaviour these investigations have exposed, but the politicians who have poured tax payer funding into this industry, who actively encouraged participation and then failed to ensure appropriate oversight, also have a lot to answer for," Ms Cotton said.

'This story will be explosive'

In an internal memo written by Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) and obtained by Four Corners over the weekend, GRV's chief executive officer Adam Wallish encouraged trainers and owners to start strategising and preparing to react publically after the Four Corners program went to air.

"Make no mistake. This story will be explosive, emotive and extremely damaging to the future of this sport in Australia," Mr Wallish wrote.

"As a group of people that love the greyhound breed we should all be shocked and outraged by the allegations in the story and prepared to fight the small minority that continue to partake in such practices jeopardising the future of the sport and indeed the future of the breed itself."

Sorry, this video has expired Caro Meldrum-Hanna talks to News Breakfast about her investigation

Mr Wallish also urged the greyhound racing community to focus their anger on the wrongdoers in their sport, rather than the messenger.

"You will be emotional, you might be angry. Don't be angry at those that attack us, regardless of their position. Be angry at those within the sport that are doing the wrong thing and undermining the values for which we stand," he wrote.

"This time is a testing one for all of us in the industry and we need to stay resolute in our desire to exceed social standards and public expectations.

"The future of the sport and the wonderful greyhound breed necessitates it."

Greyhound Racing Victoria has also set up a counselling telephone hotline to support those affected emotionally by the allegations. The hotline is contactable on (03) 8329 1100 and will be available from 7:30am on Tuesday morning.

Anyone with further information can contact Four Corners.