The nation’s leading animal welfare charities have reacted with disappointment to the news that any decision on the future of greyhound racing in Wales has been pushed back to 2025.
Earlier today, the Welsh Government reported back on its consultation on licensing of animal welfare establishments, activities and exhibits. The Cut the Chase Coalition, which consists of Dogs Trust, RSPCA Cymru, Blue Cross, Greyhound Rescue Wales and Hope Rescue, had hoped that, following this consultation, the Welsh Government would take the steps needed to end the completely avoidable deaths of hundreds of dogs each year by bringing greyhound racing to an end in Wales. This would have echoed the decision by the New Zealand Government last week to ban greyhound racing and bring it to an end by August 2026. The unacceptable number of injuries and deaths of greyhounds was cited as the reason for the ban.
In the announcement made earlier today, the Welsh Government acknowledged that 64.69% of respondents were in favour of a phased ban on greyhound racing. Despite this considerable support for a phased ban, the Government disappointingly said more time was needed to consider the responses to the consultation that related to the future of greyhound racing in Wales and next steps will be published in 2025.
Since 2018, more than 2,700 greyhounds have died or were put to sleep following their participation in greyhound racing around the UK. Dogs Trust, RSPCA Cymru, Blue Cross, Greyhound Rescue Wales and Hope Rescue, collectively known as the Cut the Chase Coalition, have been campaigning to bring greyhound racing to an end in Wales – and across the UK - to stop the entirely preventable injuries and deaths of dogs involved in racing.
Last year, a petition from Hope Rescue calling for an end to greyhound racing in Wales gained more than 35,000 signatures and the Senedd’s Petitions Committee reached a majority conclusion that greyhound racing should come to an end. Twenty-five MSs from across all political parties have also previously pledged their support in bringing an end to greyhound racing in Wales.
Speaking on behalf of the Cut the Chase Coalition, Owen Sharp, Chief Executive of Dogs Trust, says: “The call to end greyhound racing in Wales has received overwhelming support from the animal welfare community, Members of the Senedd, and the public, with over 35,000 people signing a petition demanding change.
“It is unacceptable that so many dogs die or are seriously injured every year, all in the name of entertainment. Wales now stands alongside only a handful of countries, including England and Scotland, where this outdated and inhumane practice persists. The Welsh Government must take the only meaningful action to stop this cruelty: end greyhound racing once and for all.”
Stats released earlier this year by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), the organisation responsible for licencing greyhound tracks in Great Britain, show that last year 359 racing greyhounds died or were put to sleep, and there were 4,238 recorded injuries. This is a significant increase of 47% when compared to the 244 dogs that died or were put to sleep the previous year.
Further to the deaths and injuries at greyhound racing tracks, there are concerns about the welfare of racing greyhounds at every stage of their lives, including issues around inadequate welfare standards in kennelling and transporting dogs. Some of the dogs used in racing are kept in poor, barren conditions, with little if any enrichment and fed a poor diet, and there are concerns about the general health of the dogs involved in racing. The GBGB data released in June also showed a significant increase in the number of greyhounds that remained with their owner or trainer following retirement. The Cut the Chase Coalition is concerned that this may result in dogs being kennelled in unsustainable conditions, with little enrichment, for the rest of their non-racing lives.
Support for an end to greyhound racing in Scotland is also growing. In July 2024, Green MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, where the last unlicensed racetrack in Scotland is located, Mark Ruskell, secured the required support to ensure his Private Member’s Bill, The Proposed Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Scotland) Bill, will be introduced to the Scottish Parliament and seeks to promote the welfare of the animals by introducing an offence of permitting a greyhound to compete at racetracks in Scotland.
Just last week, the Government of New Zealand announced plans to ban greyhound racing due to concerns around the welfare of the dogs involved.
