Born in 1929, this sport of the people had its halcyon days in the late '60s and early '70s but in recent years, with pressure from animal welfare groups that found political traction with the Greens, seems to have lost its battle for survival.​

On Thursday, Premier Mike Baird announced the sport would be closed by government legislation on July 1 next year.

It must pass the Legislative Council to be enacted but there will be little to push back on a political standpoint.

The ABC's 4 Corners February 2015 program Making A Killing was the incendiary device that lit opinion, outraged all and sundry and destroyed greyhound racing's social licence.

At the time Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said: "It's time to take a breath … when something is broken you fix it, you don't throw it away."

Sage advice indeed but it did not resonate with McHugh and/or the Baird administration.

The vision was galling yet the McHugh report asserts: "10 to 20 per cent of trainers engaged in the practice [of live baiting]"

The vast majority of participants are now paying a cruel price for the deeds of others.

Make no mistake, wastage – the euthanising of non-competitive greyhounds is also a factor but the vast numbers quoted–  "97,783 greyhounds bred in the last 12 years" and "between 48,891 and 68,448 dogs were killed because they were deemed uncompetitive as racing dogs" – are wildly speculative.

And to that end, the focus will now surely pass onto the gallop and trots industries.

Are foals not registered for racing now front and centre of attention?

Only last week, a colleague "saved" a three-year-old gelding from the knackery.

This son of the ill-fated top sire Northern Meteor had some potential on the track but a bone-chip operation to a knee (costing something like $3000) was required for him to get back to the track.

The prognosis for a full recovery (and to race competitively) was not good and the owners decided to "dog him".

Fortunately, he now has the run of a 50-acre property and does not require surgery to live a long and healthy life. So many others are not so lucky.

This is just the tip of the iceberg and the regulators at the ATC and Harness Racing NSW had better have their house in order when the animal welfare groups arrive. And they will.

I was on the Board of GRNSW when Minister for Racing Troy Grant advised me to resign after the ABC's Making A Killing aired.

I've been involved in greyhound racing for most of my life. My grandfather raced greyhounds in the Riverina in the 1930s and '40s. It's in my blood and is part of me.

Now we have 12 months' notice to cease and desist.

What does this mean for the three litters of pups I have bred in the past 10 months?

And the future of the "girls" – our much-loved brood bitches, which performed so brilliantly on the track for us.

At home, I've got six retired greyhounds. They are part of the family but, by extension, McHugh and Baird have included me into the grubs who so besmirched this sport.

Greyhound Racing in NSW has made great strides in animal welfare and integrity during the past 12 months but that means nothing now.

Millions of dollars was spent on the Special Commission and it seemed an absolute long shot that closure was an option. But here we are.

Michael McHugh's recommendations seem appallingly single minded.

The outcome is catastrophic and the timing of the announcement, just five days after the ballot boxes closed on the federal election, is questionable. There is no doubt the government was protecting National Party seats that would have been disaffected by this news.

John Toohey, an employee at The Gardens track in Newcastle, is in his 60s and was told this news while in hospital recovering from surgery. The meagre $200 a week he earns for part-time work at the track supports hims and his three dependent grandchildren.

The three kids are all under five years of age and in 12 months' time, their "pop" will have his sole income ripped away. There is a real human aspect to this.

Tabcorp's share price plunged 5.6 per cent in ASX's afternoon trade on Thursday.

And, in the late afternoon, GRNSW decided to immediately shut down racing for seven days fearing its staff would be victimised by participants.

Pandering to minorities is now cast in stone and the "Greyhound Action Group", which agitated for change, got way more than it bargained for.  

*** Peter Davis is regional racing editor for Fairfax Media and is a former board member of Greyhound Racing NSW. He is a group 1-winning greyhound breeder and owner.