Tag: greyhound racing

Campaigners call on Scottish Government to end greyhound racing 

Campaigners from the Unbound the Greyhound coalition delivered their open letter, calling for a phase out to dog racing in Scotland, to the Scottish Government yesterday.  

22,655 people signed the coalition’s open letter, including celebrities such as TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham, actor Peter Egan, and historian and broadcaster, David Olusoga. 

MSPs joined the charities, and greyhounds rescued from the racing industry, outside Parliament in support. 

The letter hand-in comes just weeks after Scottish Greens MSP, Mark Ruskell, launched the consultation for his proposed Bill to ban greyhound racing, the Proposed Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Scotland) Bill.

The coalition is very supportive of this Bill. 

Spokesperson for the coalition, Eve Massie Bishop, said: “There has been a real shift in attitudes towards dog racing in recent years.

“Not only have 22,655 people added their name to our letter to the Scottish Government to phase out greyhound racing in Scotland, but polling carried out by Panelbase has also found that six in ten Scots think the Scottish Parliament should vote to phase out greyhound racing.

“A 2019 petition to ban greyhound racing, from coalition member Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation, is also the most signed petition in Scottish parliamentary history. 

“Our campaign has attracted the support of animal lovers from across the world, including the US, Australia, Japan, France, and Spain.

All eyes are now on the Scottish Parliament, which can show leadership and compassion and take steps to phase out this dying industry.” 

2,718 greyhounds died and there were 2,284 total injuries recorded at the hands of the industry between 2018-2022.  

Rescue greyhound, Sasha, who was at the open letter hand-in, was injured 8 years ago and was almost killed as a result.

Sasha broke her leg during a race at the former Armadale Stadium, in West Lothian, and was left in her kennel without treatment for days.

When her owner finally did take her to the vet, he wanted her to be put down, despite her injury being treatable.

Thankfully, the vet convinced Sasha’s owner to surrender her instead. 

The coalition is very supportive of Mark Ruskell MSP’s Proposed Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Scotland) Bill, stating: “The Scottish Government’s proposals to license greyhound racing simply won’t protect these dogs.

“The Scottish public know this. In response to the Government’s recent consultation on its licensing proposals, most respondents responded instead calling for a phase out of greyhound racing. 

“Mr Ruskell has recognised that greyhound racing carries inherent welfare risks and that only a ban on this outdated ‘sport’ will protect these loving, affectionate dogs. We are grateful for Mr Ruskell’s commitment to ending this dying industry which survives only on the exploitation of gentle dogs. He has our absolute support.” 

Mark Ruskell MSP commented: “Greyhound racing is a cruel gambling-led sport. There is nothing safe about forcing dogs to run around an oval track at 40 mph. It is wrong, and it must be stopped.  

“The industry has shown that it cannot be trusted to regulate itself, with hundreds of greyhounds dying or being injured every year.  

“Animal welfare organisations are clear – the inherent risks of greyhound racing mean that the welfare of these beautiful dogs can only be truly protected by banning racing for good. And that is exactly what my proposed Bill intends to do. 

“Thanks to the Unbound the Greyhound coalition, we know that the public also wants to see our four-legged friends protected too. An incredible 22,655 people have signed the coalition’s open letter calling for an end to greyhound racing in Scotland.  

“Change is coming. So I hope that as many people as possible take part in my consultation and that we can use it to develop the most appropriate and robust legislation possible and deliver an end to this abusive and badly-dated practice.” 

Dogs Trust welcomes Holyrood debate on greyhound racing

Following Thursday’s debate in Scottish Parliament on the future of greyhound racing in Scotland, Owen Sharp, Chief Executive at Dogs Trust said: “We’re really pleased to hear the issue of greyhound racing being debated in the Scottish Parliament and would like to thank Mark Ruskell MSP for lodging the motion.

“Whilst the Scottish Government’s commitment to reviewing the activities of the greyhound industry as part of its upcoming consultation on extending the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations is a step forward, we firmly believe the industry must come to an end. We are concerned that licensing the industry would not be sufficient to protect racing greyhound welfare.

“Greyhound racing in Scotland has been significantly reduced since 2020, and with only one operational track, any phase-out period should be considerably shorter than elsewhere in the UK.

“Just last week, Dogs Trust called for an end to greyhound racing across the UK. While we have worked closely with the greyhound industry for many years to try to improve welfare conditions for the dogs, progress has not been made quickly enough, or on a big enough scale.

“It is simply not acceptable that in Great Britain over 2,000 greyhounds died or were put to sleep over the last four years, with close to 18,000 injuries recorded, all in the name of entertainment.”

On 27th September, three of the UK’s largest animal welfare organisations – Dogs Trust, Blue Cross and the RSPCA – called for greyhound racing to come to an end as soon as possible to put a stop to the unnecessary and completely preventable deaths of hundreds of dogs every year.

In Scotland, there are two greyhound racing tracks, one licensed by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) at Shawfield in Rutherglen and an independent “flapper” track at Thornton in Fife. Shawfield has been non-operational since March 2020, with racing at Thornton considerably reduced.

The charities have, as part of the Greyhound Forum, worked with the greyhound racing industry for many years to try to improve conditions for the dogs involved. While this has led to some improvements, there are still significant welfare issues for racing greyhounds which have not been resolved and cannot be resolved.

This announcement sees the organisations aligned with Scottish SPCA, One Kind, League Against Cruel Sports Scotland and Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation who have all called for an end to greyhound racing in Scotland.

Greyhound racing is inherently dangerous for the dogs involved. Running at speed around oval tracks causes significant injury to many dogs, and in some cases the injuries are so severe that it is necessary to euthanise the dog.

The GBGB * is the self-regulating organisation that governs licensed greyhound racing in Great Britain. Data from GBGB show that over 2,000 greyhounds died or were put to sleep and nearly 18,000 injuries were recorded from greyhound racing between 2018 and 2021**, with additional dogs injured on independent tracks.

Comprehensive internal reviews conducted by Dogs Trust, the RSPCA and Blue Cross highlighted serious concerns at every stage of a racing greyhound’s life including issues around inadequate welfare standards in kennelling and transporting the dogs.

Some of the dogs used in racing are kept in poor, barren conditions, with little if any enrichment and fed a poor diet. The reviews also highlighted concerns around the general health of the dogs including the number and severity of injuries sustained during racing.

There are also serious issues around the racing of greyhounds in extreme weather and the number of puppies that are unaccounted for between birth and racing registrations, so often referred to by the sector as the “wastage”.

The reviews also found there to be disjointed and ineffective regulation within the sector, a lack of transparency regarding industry practices, and additional concerns around the enforcement of regulatory standards.

There’s also concern around the absence of a sustainable and consistent source of income for the industry which has grossly impacted any meaningful change for the dogs involved. However, even if the considerable finances needed to continue were made available, a complete overhaul of the sport is necessary to ensure it is compatible with good welfare.

Dogs Trust, the RSPCA and Blue Cross want to see an end to greyhound racing announced as soon as possible and expect the phase out across Great Britain to be feasible within five years to allow the racing industry and animal welfare organisations to carefully plan and coordinate the care of the many dogs affected.

In 2021 there were in excess of 18,000 licensed greyhounds eligible to race in GBGB races, with additional greyhounds racing on the independent tracks.