Champion jockey Kerrin McEvoy has backed the continued use of whips in the racing industry after there were calls for the device to be banned entirely.  Prominent racing horse owner Lloyd Williams made headlines this week after he called for the whip to be immediately banned from racing and warned that if the racing industry is not proactive, it will be lucky to survive.  McEvoy, a three-time Melbourne Cup winner told Macquarie Sports Radio that although the use of whips does need to be regulated, there are't a lot wrong with them in the first place.  “I think we do need to have them, but I also do believe that it needs to be regulated closely by the stewards, which they do a good job doing," McEvoy said.  “These whips have been modified and I’d like a lot of people who are anti-racing to have a look at these whips. I’m sure that they will see there’s not a lot of harm in them, and they are more of a persuading tool.” The racing industry has been in the news for all the wrong reasons after last weeks ABC 7:30 report revealed the gruesome nature in which some racehorses are being killed in abattoirs, and McEvoy said our attention needs to be more focused on that issue.  “I think we’re in a pretty good spot to where we were twenty years ago, but I think we need to get our focus back on this abattoir system," McEvoy said.  "I know Racing Australia are setting up meetings to discuss the best paths forward and I’m sure we can get our house in order, because that’s the main issue at the moment. Because what we’ve seen on that ABC report is shocking and I’m sure it can be fixed sooner rather than later.”