A total of 199 greyhounds were euthanised in the last racing season, according to Greyhound Racing New Zealand.
The organisation has released its 2020 Annual Report , which details the number of dogs euthanised either after being injured during races, or for undisclosed reasons.
In the report's welfare section, it says 34 dogs were euthanised for injuries, while 165 were euthanised for undisclosed reasons in an "other" section.
GRNZ reports the total number of dogs euthanised is down 40.6 per cent on the 2018/19 season, when 338 were euthanised.
It also reports back on a recommendation made three years ago in the Hansen Report, which suggested a rule should be introduced that approval would be required before a dog is euthanised.
According the the report, work on introducing such a rule is still "in progress", and "the introduction of this policy will be aligned with our new rehoming framework.
"All dogs must be euthanised by a vet unless in the case of an absolute emergency," the report says.
GRNZ Chairman Sean Hannah and Chief Executive Glenda Hughes said in the report that animal welfare continued to a be a high priority.
"Welfare remained a key focus for us during the year, and with respect to the numerous Hansen Report recommendations, we can report ongoing improvement as a result of the major increased investment we made into our rehoming programme, track safety improvements, and lifecycle tracking capabilities for all dogs with the upgrading of our database systems.
"We have continued to report quarterly to the Minister for Racing and our 29 May report identified achievement alongside all of the recommendations.
"We are at a point now where we have delivered or continue to deliver on every recommendation resulting in valuable welfare improvements and will continue to focus efforts into this area."
Animal welfare organisation SAFE NZ said the latest number show the industry "still has a problem with greyhound fatalities".
Campaigns Manager Marianne Macdonald said even one dog killed on a race track is too many.
"Greyhound racing is inherently dangerous, and it's an industry that profits from the suffering of animals," she said.
"Injuries are common, and the industry's latest report shows they're still killing hundreds of dogs every season - it's appalling."
Macdonald said the Greyhound Protection League has launched a petition asking Parliament to ban greyhound racing and require that all dogs bred for racing are rehomed.
SHARE ME