New Penalty Standards for Notifications of Retirement
New penalties introduced from 1 January 2021 support the recommendations of the Martin Inquiry into animal cruelty in the management of retired Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses in Queensland.
Martin Inquiry recommendation 3.3
The QRIC commits more resources to the active enforcement of retirement notifications including the auditing of ‘high-risk’ categories such as racing horses that have been ‘spelling’ for more than 12 months and horses that are still registered but have not had a race start in the last 12 months.
Martin Inquiry recommendation 3.4
The QRIC develops a penalty standard for the failure to provide timely retirement and death notifications that reflects the critical role they play in monitoring the welfare of retired racing horses.
The new penalty standards will be introduced from 1 January 2021 to enforce retirement notifications in equine racing animals.
As a measure that supports voluntary compliance with the rules of racing if a participant has failed to notify the retirement or death of a horse outside of the rules of racing;
- The first offence will incur a caution, the second offence will incur a reprimand, the third offence will incur a fine of $200 for each horse that has not been retired within the rules.
- The fourth offence will incur a fine of $500 for each horse that has not been retired within the rules. Subsequent offences will be referred to the stewards for investigation.