Calls are growing for the Federal Government to take action against Australia's greyhound racing industry after revelations on the ABC that animals sent overseas are being cruelly treated and languishing in appalling conditions in parts of Asia, including Macau and Vietnam.

After a six-month investigation, the ABC's 7:30 program exposed how trainers and owners have, without the approval of racing regulators, been exporting greyhounds to banned locations overseas, where animal welfare laws are non-existent and an early death guaranteed.

The program also obtained covert vision of a killing field in Vietnam which shows dogs being injected with poison and dumped in a mass grave.

Today, the ABC obtained figures from the office of Opposition agriculture spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon which revealed 370 greyhounds were secretly exported to banned location Macau this year, with another 98 going to Hong Kong and 59 to other parts of China, where greyhound racing and gambling is illegal.

The ABC discovered at least two secret illegal private racing tracks operate in China.

All of the dogs were exported without the knowledge or approval of Greyhounds Australasia, the peak national racing body.

All have also been sent overseas without the required 'greyhound passport'.

Animals Australia CEO Lyn White said the investigations undertaken by her organisation revealed greyhound racing was riddled with cruelty and a continuing disregard for animal welfare.

"Layers of cruelty, killing of dogs, we were shocked at the degree of callousness, ruthlessness in this industry when it comes to disregarding the welfare of these dogs," Ms White said.

"It has no end really."

Peak racing body 'frustrated' with government inaction

The peak overseeing body, Greyhounds Australasia (GA), said it was frustrated by the lack of government support to tighten the rules surrounding exports.

CEO Scott Parker said the racing industry had been lobbying the Federal Government to close an export loophole since 2005, but their calls had been ignored.

The ABC obtained a letter dated August 2015, written by Greyhounds Australasia to Mr Fitzgibbon, detailing the frustration of the peak industry body at the lack of action at a federal level, and pleading for assistance to end the cruel international trade of Australia's racing canines.

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"Greyhounds Australasia remains frustrated with the lack of Federal Government support for better regulatory oversight of the exportation of Australian racing greyhounds," Mr Parker wrote.

"These greyhounds are exported without the approval of GA but with the sanction of the Federal Government.

"We are not in a position to ignore the community's concerns about the welfare of racing greyhounds in overseas jurisdictions but we need government support for more change."

Greyhounds Australasia said it also sought a meeting with Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce to communicate their concerns and to again ask the Minister to make a passport system mandatory as it cannot be enforced outside of the Australian greyhound racing industry, leaving the channel open for non-compliant exports.

Greyhounds Australasia said Mr Joyce did not respond to their request.

State and federal ministers: 'Government needs to act'

In the wake of the scandal, Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford said she had written to her federal counterpart, calling for the laws to be tightened.

"This is a small loophole in the export laws which are Commonwealth laws," she said.

"We want the Federal Government, Malcolm Turnbull and Barnaby Joyce, to close this loophole so these beautiful animals aren't suffering in the way that we saw on our televisions last night [on ABC's 7.30 program]."

Earlier today, Victorian Racing Minister Martin Pakula publicly lambasted Mr Joyce, calling for legislation to be signed that would stop the export trade.

Mr Pakula said the images broadcast on 7:30 were "revolting".

This afternoon, Mr Fitzgibbon weighed in, accusing the Government of turning a blind eye to the export trade.

"The Government could move to make the passport system mandatory for all exporters, but Barnaby Joyce won't have a bar of it," Mr Fitzgibbon said.

The independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, today said greyhound racing must be shut down.

"First of all we saw earlier this year that the abhorrent practice of live baiting was commonplace in the greyhound racing industry," Mr Wilkie said.

"And now we see revelations on ABC's 7:30 last night that hundreds of dogs are being exported to Asia where they have to live the rest of their lives in appalling conditions, all because they couldn't run fast enough in Australia.

"Surely we now have all the proof we need that the greyhound racing industry is cruel and must be shut down immediately.

"The Federal Government needs to act. The Minister for Agriculture obviously has a keen interest in dogs and must shut down the greyhound industry.

"If he won't do that, then he at least must amend the Export Control Act to stop the export of greyhounds without appropriate safeguards being in place."

Australia is one of only a handful of countries that still allow greyhound racing. It has been banned in multiple countries and states, including the US and most of Europe.

The ABC has confirmed 70 trainers and owners across Australia are now implicated in the exporting scandal, including 52 in NSW, eight in Victoria, nine in Queensland and one in Tasmania.

So far, only one state regulator, Greyhound Racing NSW, has announced an inquiry.

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