The Racing Integrity Board has charged three people including two trainers in relation to two greyhounds that had tested positive for methamphetamine.

One of the trainers is North Island-based, and the other races at Christchurch’s Addington Raceway.

SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe said it’s alarming that greyhounds are still testing positive for methamphetamine.

“There should be no situation where greyhounds come into contact with dangerous drugs,” said Appelbe.

“Methamphetamine can cause muscle tremors, seizures, vomiting, and potentially death in dogs. It’s a serious animal welfare issue.”

During the 2020/21 season there were five positive cases of prohibited substances. One was for caffeine, one for diclofenac (voltaren), one for ketoprofen and two for methamphetamine.

Greyhound Racing New Zealand Chief Executive Glenda Hughes told Newshub “we have a zero-tolerance, as far as any testing goes with any of these substances.”

She sees the prevalence of meth use in the country as part of the problem telling Newshub “I think all dogs in New Zealand are now at risk of methamphetamine contamination.”

Accidental contamination could occur if a meth user handles the dog in question, but the industry says the onus is on the trainer to ensure that doesn’t happen.

Last year, Greyhound trainer Angela Turnwald was disqualified for 18 months after her dog Zipping Sarah tested positive for methamphetamine in November 2020.

“Greyhound trainers have a duty of care to their animals. Since they’re breeding and racing animals for financial gain, they ought to be held to a higher standard. We wouldn’t accept positive drug tests like this in any other animal industry.”

“This week, Kieran McAnulty was sworn in as the new Racing Minister. We hope he looks closely at these issues and recognises that this is an industry that has lost its social license. The only option now is to ban greyhound racing.”