WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE

Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup is being overshadowed by an expose that one researcher says is shaking the Australian horse-racing industry to its core.

Footage of trained and celebrated racehorses whipped and beaten, given electric shocks, kicked in the head and slaughtered at pet food knackeries where the law says they shouldn’t be.

An ABC investigation is putting the heat on the New South Wales Racing industry, as it denies the scale of the carnage.

It says around 34 horses a year end up at the slaughterhouse, but the 7:30 report investigation revealed there were more than 4,000 racehorses in the past year killed at one abattoir alone – with their identities laid bare due to the brandings of iconic horse studs.

Professor Paul McGreevy from Sydney University’s School of Veterinary Science has done extensive research into the treatment of racehorses over 25 years.

Alex Perrottet asks him how the country is reacting to what was revealed by the ABC.
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