LOCAL greyhound breeder Norm Smith is considering putting plans for future litters on hold as the fallout from the industry’s live baiting scandal continues.
A recently birthed litter could be Mr Smith’s last for a while as an angry backlash over cruel training methods tests the commitment of trainers and owners Australia-wide.
Numerous trainers have been stood down in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria following revelations that some trainers used live piglets, rabbits and possums tethered to lures in greyhound training runs.
The survival of the industry is under a cloud, with the sport’s board in NSW sacked on Wednesday night and the annual awards dinner to be held in Melbourne tonight cancelled.
Mr Smith said the Four Corners episode earlier this week had come as a shock.
“If you go back 50 years, people used to use rabbits but not to the extent shown on Four Corners. We thought the majority of that was long gone by now,” he said.
