Wales is moving to become the first UK country to ban greyhound racing, with the government stating that it aims to learn from the New Zealand example.
Deputy First Minister with Responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, announced the move in a statement to the Senadd (Welsh Assembly) yesterday.
“I want a ban to come into force as soon as practicably possible,” he said, also noting that a ban has ‘clear cross-party support’ among Welsh legislators.
“There will be work to do in ensuring the dogs, their owners, and those involved in the industry around the racetrack, can wind down from this activity while still protecting the welfare of dogs currently within the industry, the local community and the local economy.”
Greyhound racing is a prominent sport in the UK, though its presence is mainly centred around England rather than Scotland and Wales and its visibility is not as wide ranging as horse racing.
There is currently only one dog-racing track in Wales, the valley Stadium in Ystrad Mynach, Glamorgan. The majority of the UK’s 22 greyhound tracks – licensed and unlicensed – are in England, with the exception of Scotland’s Thornton and Northern Ireland’s Bardneywell and Dumbo Park.
Greyhound racing remains controversial, however, and a number of animal rights charities have been lobbying for an end to the sport for some time. Common concerns are animal treatment and rehoming of retired greyhounds.
In his speech, Irranca-Davies cited a petition to ban Welsh greyhound racing which received over 35,000 signatures. A campaign, Cut the Chase, which includes the RSPCA, Blue Cross, Dogs Trust, Greyhound Rescue Wales and Hope Rescue charities as participants, has also influenced the government’s decision.
“Our next step will be setting up an implementation group,” Irranca-Davies remarked in a video statement, shared via his X (formerly Twitter) account.
“This group will engage with stakeholders and it will advise us on how a ban will come into force, the legislative approach and when it will be delivered.
“I’ve seen the strength of feeling on this issue and I have listened. We are proud to be the first nation in the UK to do this.”
Welsh lobbyists are not the only UK campaigners calling for a ban, calls for an end to the sport are also heard in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Opponents have been particularly vocal in Scotland, with the RSPCA, Blue Cross and Dogs Trust stating back in 2022 that issues within the sport ‘have not and cannot be resolved’.
The UK is currently one of only four countries where greyhound racing continues as a legal sport after it was banned in New Zealand last year, a move which the Welsh government says it will evaluate as a possible blueprint.
Other than the UK, only Ireland, Australia and the US allow legal greyhound racing. A shrinking of the sport in the UK, albeit with the loss of only one track, would still certainly deal a blow to the industry.
As expected, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has been critical of the Welsh government’s position. The GBGB has long-stressed that significant improvements have been made in the sport which prioritise greyhound welfare.
The BBC reports that the GBGB, which oversees and regulates the 19 English racetracks, has labelled the Welsh move as “having nothing to do with greyhound welfare and everything to do with pressure from the extreme animal rights movement”.
