End Greyhound Racing

Every year, thousands of greyhounds are injured, and hundreds are killed in racetracks across the UK.

It’s time for an end to this gambling-led ‘sport’ that puts our four-legged friends at serious risk of harm and even death.

The industry is now on its last legs with just one racetrack left in Scotland. And now the Scottish Government has launched a public consultation on the future of greyhound racing in Scotland.

There’s never been a better time to call for change.

So join us in asking the Scottish Government to lead the pack and commit to phasing out greyhound racing once and for all by responding to its new consultation.

What’s the problem?

Greyhound racing is a ‘sport’ that forces greyhounds to race around tracks at extremely high speeds for spectators and gamblers. Yet every year, thousands of greyhounds are injured, and hundreds are killed at racetracks all across the UK.

Despite the industry’s commitments to improve welfare standards at racetracks and reduce the number of injuries and deaths in dogs, the rate of injuries in 2022 was higher than it was in 2018. Over the same five-year period, hundreds of dogs were put to sleep not for medical reasons, but because treatment costs were deemed too high, they were left homeless, or designated “unsuitable for homing”.

This is heartbreaking.

But it’s not just about injuries and deaths. There are other concerning animal welfare issues linked with greyhound racing – including neglect, malnutrition, doping with Class A substances, overbreeding, inadequate kennelling conditions, and lack of adequate healthcare provision.

There is only one racetrack left in Scotland, the unregulated Thornton Greyhound Stadium. Here, the number of injuries and deaths is completely unknown, as there are no requirements for unregulated tracks to meet basic animal welfare standards.

Too many dogs have died due to the inherent risks of greyhound racing.

What needs to change?

There were once twenty racetracks in Scotland, now only Thornton Greyhound Stadium remains. It’s clear that public attitudes have shifted, participation is dwindling, and the industry is now on its last legs.

The animal welfare organisations that previously worked directly with the industry to improve welfare standards at racetracks now believe that the industry is beyond reform. Even the Scottish SPCA told us that current animal welfare law is not sufficient to protect greyhounds from unnecessary suffering.

The disturbing numbers of injuries and deaths from regulated racetracks across the UK proves that introducing a licensing scheme to regulate Scotland’s last remaining racetrack will not go far enough to safeguard the health and welfare of greyhounds.

We need to see a full phase out of greyhound racing to protect these beautiful dogs from harm.

What can we do?

The majority of people in Scotland already believe that greyhound racing should be phased out.

Leading animal welfare organisations in Scotland – including Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, Scottish SPCA, Dogs Trust, OneKind, Blue Cross, League Against Cruel Sports, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, and others – agree that it is time to phase out greyhound racing in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is considering its position on greyhound racing, and a committee in the Scottish Parliament is looking into the issue as well. It’s now consulting on whether licensing greyhound racing will improve dog welfare.

Now is the time to make our voices heard. Join us in urging the Scottish Government to commit to a phase out of greyhound racing once and for all in its upcoming consultation.

We have drafted a standard response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on a licensing framework for greyhound racing tracks in Scotland.

But, we recommend you add some of your own words and give some of your own reasons for supporting a phase out of greyhound racing (e.g. share your experience with homing an ex-racing greyhound).

As long as greyhound racing is allowed to continue, dogs will continue to get seriously injured or killed. We need the Scottish Government to lead the pack and commit to phasing out greyhound racing in Scotland once and for all.

Help us end greyhound racing

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Dear Animal Welfare Team,

I would like to submit my responses to the consultation on licensing of activities involving animals focused on the issue of greyhound racing tracks via email. Please consider the information below my responses to the following consultation questions:

31. Do you agree that operators of greyhound racing tracks should be made subject to a statutory licensing scheme? 
 
Not Sure

While the introduction of the statutory licensing scheme may address the gap in data collection on injuries and deaths at the unlicensed Thornton Greyhound Stadium and any future racetracks in Scotland, it will ultimately still allow dogs to continue racing at high speed around curved tracks with a known and unacceptable risk of collision, injuries, and deaths.

This risk is evidenced by the appalling figures from licensed racetracks across the UK released by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) which revealed that 22,284 greyhounds were injured and 2,718 died between 2018-2022. In fact, the rate of injuries at licensed racetracks in 2022 was higher than it was in 2018 even after the industry’s commitments to improve welfare standards at licensed racetracks. This clearly shows that the industry is now beyond reform and that licensing is not sufficient to protect dogs from unnecessary suffering.

The design of racetracks in Scotland and the rest of the UK remains the same – oval-shaped with dogs chasing a lure at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour – and whether or not racetracks are licensed or unlicensed, dogs will continue to collide with each other while racing, get injured, or even killed.

As the Scottish SPCA highlighted in an evidence session to the Rural Affairs and Island (RAI) Committee’s inquiry, current regulations under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 are not sufficient to protect greyhounds from unnecessary suffering. Because greyhound racing is a lawful activity with specific and known risks faced by dogs used for racing, it is impossible to prove that a serious injury sustained by a dog while racing lawfully was unnecessary or could have otherwise been avoided.

I believe that a phase out of greyhound racing in Scotland is the only real solution toward safeguarding the health and welfare of greyhounds used for racing.

32. If you do not support the introduction of statutory licensing, what controls, if any, would you otherwise recommend?

I believe the introduction of statutory licensing in Scotland will not address the root causes of the animal health and welfare challenges linked with greyhound racing. Ultimately, dogs will still be racing at high speeds around curved tracks with a known and unacceptable risk of collision, injury, and death.

For this reason, I would like to see a phase out of greyhound racing in Scotland, and I am not alone in calling for this.

Polling revealed that majority of Scots (60%) want to see the Scottish Government take action to phase out greyhound racing in Scotland. The Rural Affairs and Island (RAI) Committee’s call for views on Petition PE1758: End Greyhound Racing in Scotland – the most signed petition in the history of the Scottish Parliament – saw 91.7% of respondents in favour of a ban on greyhound racing in Scotland. It is clear that the Scottish public do not support the racing industry.

Joining them are leading animal welfare organisations in Scotland – including Scottish SPCA, Dogs Trust, OneKind, Blue Cross, League Against Cruel Sports, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, and others – who believe the industry is now beyond reform and that without phasing out the industry in Scotland we cannot guarantee the health and welfare of greyhounds.

With only one racetrack left in Scotland, there has never been a better time for the Scottish Government to commit to a phase out and work with the rehoming and rescue centres to ensure that every single dog is able to find the loving forever home they always deserved.

The way we treat vulnerable voiceless animals is a mark of how progressive we are as a nation. It is time for the Scottish Government to lead the pack by committing to phase out of greyhound racing in Scotland.

33. Do you support the proposal to require veterinary presence when greyhounds are racing to allow pre and post-race health checks of dogs and ensure prompt veterinary care of any injured dog?

Yes.

It is unacceptable that racing without veterinary presence has been permitted to take place at the Thornton Greyhound Stadium.

However, I would like to highlight that while veterinary presence may offer dogs used for racing better protection at racetracks and prompt treatment after injuries, introducing this measure will not prevent dogs from getting injured or even killed while racing.

The only way to safeguard the health and welfare of greyhounds is to phase out the industry in Scotland, and I believe that veterinary presence must be a requirement at greyhound racing tracks during any phase out period.

34. Do you agree with the proposal that greyhound tracks are required to renew their licence annually instead of up to 3 years, due to the higher animal welfare risks?

Yes

I believe the only real solution to ending unnecessary suffering of greyhounds used for racing is to deliver a phase out in Scotland. However, if licensing is to be introduced in the meantime, then I would support the proposal of renewing licenses annually.

35. Do you know of any challenges or negative consequences that may arise from the introduction of statutory licensing for greyhound racing?

Yes

If greyhound racing is licensed rather than phased out in Scotland, this may open doors for the industry to introduce new greyhound racing tracks. However, I agree with the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission’s recommendation that no further greyhound racing tracks should be introduced in Scotland.

Licensing will not put an end to the injuries and deaths that are inherent to how greyhound racing is carried out. It is clear that as long as greyhound racing is allowed to take place with or without statutory licensing dogs will continue to get injured or killed.

36. Are you aware of any examples of how any of the proposals above may impact, either positively or negatively, on those with protected characteristics?

No further comments.

Thank you for considering my responses to the consultation.

Yours sincerely,

This message will be sent to AnimalHealthWelfare@gov.scot marked with your email address

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