TAS greyhound ‘trainer of the year’ banned for the sport for life
Tasmania's greyhound racing industry has been rocked by the sport's "trainer of the year" being banned for life. Anthony Bullock has been handed the penalty for possessing an animal lure. But critics say despite Anthony Bullock's disqualification, industry regulation remains inadequate.
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00:00 But Tasmania's greyhound racing industry has been dealt a major blow.
00:06 The industry is in a shambles, they are on notice and they should consider themselves
00:10 under watch by people in the community.
00:13 Anthony Bullock is the industry's leading trainer, winning more than 200 races in the
00:18 past year.
00:19 But he's now been banned for life for possessing an animal part capable of being used as a
00:25 lure or bait.
00:26 I think it's the tip of the iceberg.
00:29 We have serious concerns about animal welfare right across the industry.
00:32 It was this drone vision released by Animal Liberation in August that sparked a probe
00:37 by the Office of Racing Integrity.
00:40 While no breaches of animal welfare legislation were identified on Mr Bullock's property,
00:45 investigators did locate a paddy melon tail attached to a training apparatus.
00:50 Mr Bullock pleaded not guilty to breaching the rules, but stewards disagreed and imposed
00:56 the mandatory life ban.
00:58 If it wasn't for the drone footage of a private animal advocate group, then this wouldn't
01:05 have come to light.
01:06 So clearly the industry is failing.
01:09 Tas Racing says it has zero tolerance for animal cruelty and that it's working to ensure
01:15 the dogs on Mr Bullock's property are appropriately cared for.
01:19 But his disqualification comes as the broader racing industry faces the fallout from a series
01:24 of controversies.
01:26 Last month leading Thoroughbred trainer Scott Brunton had his licence revoked after his
01:31 company went into liquidation.
01:33 And there's an ongoing investigation into Tasmania's top harness trainer Ben Yole, following
01:39 allegations of race fixing, claims he denies.
01:42 I think the strongest evidence here is that the Office of Racing Integrity is fundamentally
01:47 broken.
01:48 We do support the independent cop on the beat in this case, driving for good animal welfare
01:54 outcomes and a sustainable industry.
01:57 Mr Bullock has the option to appeal his ban.
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