Parliamentary committee backs greyhound racing ban in Scotland

Unbound the Greyhound is a coalition of nine animal welfare organisations working together to ban greyhound racing in Scotland. On 22 January, it welcomed the Rural Affairs and Islands (RAI) committee’s support of the Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill, that would ban greyhound racing in Scotland.

The RAI committee has published its Stage 1 report on the Bill, which confirmed that the committee supports the general principles of the Bill. The Stage 1 debate on the Bill will take place on 29 January.

Greyhound racing – the sad facts

Scottish campaign group OneKind points to the industry’s own data. It showed that there were 2,751 recorded deaths and 26,522 injuries between 2018-2023. OneKind suggests that greyhound racing is rife with mistreatment and bad practice. This ranges from “dank, dirty kennels” to the use of performance enhancing drugs, including cocaine. The charity claims the root of the problems is that:

These dogs aren’t valued as sentient beings, but rather are regarded as commodities to make trainers money.

Eve Massie Bishop, OneKind’s head of campaigns and media, speaking on behalf of the coalition says:

The Committee’s backing brings Scotland another decisive step closer to ending greyhound racing for good. With the Scottish government already supporting the Bill, we are hopeful that Parliament will now seize this opportunity to protect dogs from an industry that has caused them suffering for far too long.

We now look to MSPs to carry this compassion into the chamber next week and vote in favour of the Bill – bringing Scotland one step closer to ending greyhound racing once and for all and giving these gentle, sensitive animals the safe and dignified future that they deserve.

The Unbound the Greyhound coalition includes:

• OneKind
• GREY2K USA Worldwide
• Say No To Greyhound Racing in Scotland
• Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation (SAGE)
• League Against Cruel Sports
• Hope Rescue
• Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home
• All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG)
• Animal Concern

Read the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee’s Stage 1 report here.
Learn more about the Unbound the Greyhound campaign here.
Find the proposed Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill here.

Featured image via OneKind