At slightest 2 chartered flights carrying up to 150 greyhounds are acceptable to alert to Australia's eastbound states, arsenic a New Zealand prohibition connected the athletics comes into effect.
Several greyhound trainers successful New Zealand are responding to a caller prohibition by moving their dogs to Australia with plans to proceed successful the sport, governing assemblage Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) told the BBC.
While the prohibition crossed New Zealand takes effect connected Saturday, the signifier remains ineligible astir everyplace successful Australia.
The prohibition was first announced successful December 2024, and legislated successful April. Approximately 1,400 greyhounds volition discontinue successful New Zealand nether the prohibition and necessitate rehoming.
Australian authorities accidental that greyhounds arriving from New Zealand are classed arsenic "companion animals" which volition acquisition screening for diseases specified arsenic rabies.
"Australia's import requirements for dogs are based connected biosecurity risk, not the intended usage of the animal," Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry told a Senate enquiry successful June.
A spokesperson for New Zealand's Racing Minister Winston Peters called the plans to relocate the dogs "the past gasp actions of a dying industry".
Peters said the canine racing manufacture had "lost its societal licence" aft aggregate reviews concluded that canine and wounded decease rates "remain unacceptably high", a decision that GRNZ disputed.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Peters said: "We recognize a tiny fig of dogs are being exported to Australia, but the immense bulk (1,300 to 1,400) volition beryllium rehomed implicit the adjacent mates of years."
"This is simply a one-off last enactment alternatively than an ongoing issue," the spokesperson added.
GRNZ Edward Rennell main enforcement told the BBC that betwixt six and 10 trainers person expressed involvement successful relocating to Australia, with astir New Zealand citizens not requiring a peculiar visa to unrecorded successful Australia. Details would beryllium finalised "over the adjacent 2 weeks", helium said.
Rennell said "the details aren't locked in" but that his organisation would screen the afloat outgo of the flights, portion different costs would beryllium borne by owners and trainers.
"We volition beryllium supporting radical that are looking to transportation over," Rennell said.
He said immoderate of the dogs volition proceed grooming and racing successful Australia, though helium noted they are apt to beryllium little competitory successful nonrecreational racing due to the fact that breeding has mostly paused successful New Zealand since the prohibition was announced 18 months ago.
Kiwis are inactive capable to stake connected Australian greyhound racing, which has a larger commercialized presence.
Queensland, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria's industries were collectively worthy astir A$2bn (£1.04bn; $1.4m) successful 2022-23, which dwarfed New Zealand's $147m total, according to the latest figures published by Greyhounds Australasia.
The dedicated assemblage overseeing the closure of the manufacture successful New Zealand, the Greyhound Transition Agency told the BBC: "We recognize that arrangements are being made to relocate immoderate dogs to Australia for racing purposes.
"However, we are not successful a presumption to remark further connected these arrangements."
New Zealand announced the greyhound racing prohibition pursuing 3 autarkic reviews into the athletics successful 2013, 2017 and 2021.
"We admit the manufacture made advances successful safety, but the precocious wounded and decease rates persisted with nary motion of improvement," Peters's spokesperson added.
In response, Rennell told the BBC: "I volition spell to my sedate saying that the greyhound payment standards are the champion of immoderate racing codification successful New Zealand."
GRNZ has eyed kennels crossed eastbound Australia arsenic destinations for New Zealand's racing dogs.
A spokesperson for the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission said the bureau "has been advised by Greyhound Racing New Zealand of the accomplishment of racing greyhounds and the imaginable relocation of manufacture participants from New Zealand into Queensland".
NSW and Victorian officials said they were not alert of circumstantial relocation plans wrong their states, noting that greyhounds are permitted to question crossed jurisdictions successful Australia successful New Zealand.
Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry did not respond to a petition to marque further comment.
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