It is sickening, unethical and brings the horse-racing industry into disrepute.

The actions of the abattoir workers featured in the secretly filmed footage in New South Wales and Queensland does nothing for an industry that provides millions of dollars to the economy through direct and indirect jobs, and gambling.

Predictably, Racing Australia's chief executive, Barry O'Farrell, said he was "appalled" by the long-suspected revelations and called on state governments to ensure animal welfare laws were being obeyed.

Horses are required to be registered and they are meant to be tracked from birth to retirement with industry data suggesting 34 horses - or less than 1 per cent - end up at slaughterhouses annually. However, there is a suspicion that number is into the hundreds or thousands.

Mr O'Farrell is right, there should be more stringent monitoring of what becomes of retired racehorses or those that don't make it to the track.

But it is also incumbent on the industry to take greater responsibility for the welfare of its number one asset and one it wouldn't exist without.

This revelation has been linked to the uncovering of live greyhound baiting in NSW and Queensland in 2015, which subsequently led to NSW politicians taking steps to ban the industry. However, that was overturned due to internal and external pressure.

The fact is, society has a greater expectation for the handling and care of thoroughbreds - or any animal - whether they are successful on the track or not.

Yes, there are laws and penalties in place, but they are redundant if stringent regulation and policing aren't in place to combat the behaviour of some trainers and owners.

That appears to be absent 100 per cent of the time and it is clear that a national horse tracking register needs implementing to make it easier for prosecution.