Paul Newson the interim CEO of the industry regulator Greyhound Racing NSW , told the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Greyhound Racing Industry in NSW on Friday that he had been confronted with vitriol from industry participants angrily defending the barbaric practice and warning the sport would fail without it.

Mr Newson, who was installed after the management and board of GRNSW were forced to step down in the wake of the ABC's Four Corners program which revealed the extent of live baiting, said the support was not the majority, but it was significant, and supporters were extremely vocal and threatened that if it was not allowed to continue many dogs would have to be euthanised.

Mr Newson told the commission the industry players had no problem in speaking out publicly about being involved in live baiting and they wanted to know why the regulator had not taken legal action against Four Corners, saying they were the real criminals for the way they gathered their filmed evidence.

When asked by counsel assisting the commission Stephen Rushton SC whether the attitude "it's the bunnies or the dogs" was just confined to areas around Sydney? Mr Newson answered no.

Mr Newson was giving evidence on the last day of hearings about the issue of live baiting and said that the management of GRNSW were put on notice as early as 2010 that live baiting was still an issue in the sport.

The commission had already heard that GRNSW had listed "the use of 'live' animals in training" as one of 11 critical areas for a new animal welfare policy in 2010.

Former GRNSW chief executive Brent Hogan said on Thursday "that does not of itself lead to the conclusion that it was occurring".

Mr Newson gave the commission a scathing overview of what he had found when he took over and said he found it incredible that GRNSW could be acting as the regulator of the industry without having any real understanding of the issues.

He said nothing he had seen since his appointment in February, that had given him confidence that the regulator was even "remotely competent" to discharge its functions".

"It has been abundantly clear that the regulator's capability – to be kind – was non-existent but there was a pretence that it was effective."

He said the leadership of the organisation was deficient from the regulation and welfare perspective. He said there was no strategic or coherent planning, no understanding of risks, none or inadequate or immature procedures, and no meaningful engagement of issues.

Mr Newson said there was an absence of understanding and capability, and the people in the positions in relation to regulation and welfare had no business being there.

The commission has been adjourned until a later date.