Dog charity Dogs Trust has welcomed the launch of a session into the way forward for greyhound racing in Scotland. The session comes after Mark Ruskell MSP proposed a Member’s Bill that may make it unlawful greyhound racing unlawful in Scotland.
According to figures by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain’s (GBGB), since 2018 greater than 2,200 greyhounds died or had been put to sleep due to racing on licensed tracks across the UK and over 22,000 accidents recorded.
While the variety of fatalities has gone down in recent years – a truth GBGB cites as the results of “significant improvements we have achieved in welfare over the past few years” – Dogs Trust and different animal welfare organisations together with RSPCA, Blue Cross, Scottish SPCA, and One Kind, are nonetheless calling for the top of greyhound racing throughout the UK, saying that the variety of accidents and deaths stays unacceptable.
“In 2023, the Scottish Government consulted on licencing greyhound tracks. Following the consultation, it concluded that that was is a strong case for the introduction of a statutory licensing scheme for greyhound racing in Scotland,” Dogs Trust says in an announcement.
“We believe the only option is to bring greyhound racing to a complete stop in Scotland and across the UK”
“However, Dogs Trust, along with many other organisations, does not believe that licencing tracks goes far enough to protect the welfare of the dogs involved in racing and instead wants to see greyhound racing come to an end.”
Following the launch of the session, Owen Sharp, Chief Executive at Dogs Trust, mentioned, “We welcome this session on the way forward for greyhound racing in Scotland and admire the efforts of MSPs like Mark Ruskell who’re working laborious to deliver it to an finish. It is just not acceptable that throughout the UK, greater than 2,200 greyhounds have died or had been put to sleep since 2018, and greater than 22,000 accidents recorded, all within the title of leisure.
“We worked with the greyhound industry for many years to try to improve the welfare of dogs involved in greyhound racing. However, it’s clear that progress has not been made quickly enough, or on a big enough scale to have any impact, and industry is a long way from ensuring the welfare of all the dogs involved. Therefore, we believe the only option is to bring greyhound racing to a complete stop in Scotland and across the UK.”
We’re please to report A spokesperson for the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), which regulates licensed British greyhound racing, said:
