Industry updates / Race Day Hydration and Hot Weather Policy

The Commission has completed a review of the Race Day Hydration Hot Weather Policy, with a number of changes made following feedback from industry stakeholders and participants.

The requirement that greyhounds be provided with water remains part of the Policy. This requirement was introduced by GRNSW in January 2017 for the welfare of greyhounds. The Commission’s priority is to protect the welfare of greyhounds, and the Commission has no evidence on which to base a change to this component of the GRNSW policy.

The key changes to the policy are:

• The process for participants seeking race day water exemptions has been streamlined to provide clarity for participants and ensure consistency in applications. Water exemptions will only be granted where there may be another welfare risk in providing water to a greyhound that outweighs the risk of dehydration.
• The Commission will now make it mandatory to cancel any race meeting where the temperature exceeds, or is forecast to exceed 38^oC.

The updated Race Day Hydration and Hot Weather Policy came into effect on 1 September 2019. The full policy can be accessed by visiting the Rules and Policies web page.

Available data has not highlighted any adverse impact from the current policy. Recognising that this is a contentious policy for some, the Commission is considering research options to gather quantifiable data in order to guide future policy directions.