Scotland may ban greyhound racing
SNP Ministers in Holyrood have given their backing to a bill from a Scottish Green Party MP that proposes to outlaw greyhound racing.
Key points:
– The SNP will back the bill with some changes to enforcement and the timelines
– Bill cites danger to dogs and encouragement of gambling as key reasons to ban
– Opponents call the bill a waste of time as there are no active greyhound tracks in Scotland
In February, Wales became the first UK nation to ban greyhound racing, and now Scotland look to be following suit.
Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, said at the time that there were no plans for the rest of the UK to outlaw the practice – indeed, next year would mark 100 years of greyhound racing in the UK.
While the central Labour Government has not reneged on that position, the devolved Scottish Government in Holyrood has indicated that it will back a ban, with some changes around enforcement and timelines.
The legislation, initially tabled by a Green MSP in February 2024, highlights the danger posed to dogs racing at high speed on the traditional oval tracks.
The final proposal also suggests that: “Greyhound racing exists only for gambling purposes and therefore both exploits animals for solely monetary gain and encourages gambling, an activity which can have very negative consequences for individuals, their families and communities.”
Holyrood ministers have written to Mark Ruskell, the author of the bill, to back its general principles, agreeing that there are “genuine risks” to the dogs.
Good to know: The RSPCA has campaigned for an end to greyhound racing, which it says is only legal in nine countries worldwide
The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has accused the bill of wasting parliamentary time as it points out the practice is not active in Scotland and a ban is therefore redundant – the body also filed for a judicial review over the Welsh ban.
The site of the one greyhound track remaining in the country has been closed for several months and it is possible that it is already going to go the way of other tracks which were repurposed for housing.
New Zealand is also preparing to ban in 2026, due to “unacceptable” rates of mortality in racing dogs.
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