Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) investigative stewards have today issued a 10-year warning off to a person found to be involved in the unauthorised exporting of greyhounds.

While the person involved is not a registered greyhound racing participant, the warning off ensures that they may not enter a greyhound racing track or have any involvement in racing greyhounds.

Registered participants may also be subject to disciplinary action under the Rules of Racing if they’re found to be dealing with or associating with a disqualified or warned off person for greyhound racing purposes.

This decisive action underlines GRV’s zero-tolerance approach to activities that compromise greyhound welfare and breach the expectations of both the industry and the community. A link to the stewards’ report can be found here.

GRV and Greyhounds Australasia have strict rules and regulatory measures in place to ensure any racing greyhound being exported from Australia or New Zealand is issued with a valid greyhound passport. Passports for racing greyhounds are only issued where the destination is a country which has a recognised greyhound racing regulatory authority and strong welfare controls.

“Greyhounds are at the heart of our sport, and their welfare is our highest priority,” said Stuart Laing, GRV’s chief executive officer.

“Unauthorised exports are unacceptable and compromise the standards we set here in Victoria for greyhound welfare.

“Today’s decision sends a clear message that we will not tolerate conduct that risks the wellbeing of our dogs or damages the trust placed in our sport.”

Meanwhile, GRV has today rolled out the next phase of its Digital Greyhound Lifecycle Tracking (DGLT) program, which will enable and require all greyhounds in the care of Victorian registered participants to have regular check-ins for official microchip scanning and checking at least every six months.

The DGLT program demonstrates another form of effective regulatory oversight and transparency and builds on GRV’s commitment to ensure all healthy greyhounds are rehomed post-racing.

GRV will not be commenting any further given the matter remains under investigation.