Rural affairs committee supports general principles of greyhound racing ban, but consensus not reached

The Rural Affairs and Islands Committee has said it supports the general principles of legislation to ban greyhound racing in Scotland.  

However, the committee could not reach a consensus on whether there is sufficient evidence supporting a ban.

The bill, which was introduced by Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell in April last year, proposes to outlaw greyhound racing on oval tracks in Scotland.  

The Scottish Government had previously opposed the ban, citing a lack of evidence over the welfare impacts of racing on independent tracks. But in August, agriculture minister Jim Fairlie confirmed that the government’s position had changed, and it did support the general principles of the bill. 

Support from the government means it is highly likely that the legislation will pass through parliament.   

In light of this, the rural affairs committee sought to establish whether any additional evidence is now available to support the case to ban greyhound racing.  

Despite the committee supporting the general principles of the bill, convener Finlay Carson, Tim Eagle, Rhoda Grant, and Beatrice Wishart did not believe a case had been made to ban the sport, and they argued that the bill would not address the welfare concerns raised in relation to greyhound racing. 

Under current plans, the legislation would not prevent owners from kennelling dogs in Scotland and racing them on tracks in England and Ireland, where there are no current proposals to ban the sport. 

The committee has questioned why greyhounds kennelled in Scotland that race on an oval track in England and Wales should be given a different level of protection from those intended to race at an oval track in Scotland.   

There are no operational dog tracks north of the border, following the closure of the last regulated track, Shawfield, in 2020, and Thornton, which was unlicensed and independently operated, in March last year. 

Carson noted that members of the committee “have unanimously shared concerns around the lack of data for injuries, fatalities and associated risks at the independent track at Thornton”, throughout its scrutiny of greyhound racing, which began as a result of a 2019 petition calling for the end of greyhound racing in Scotland and achieved more than 30,000 signatures. 

However, he said: “We note the terms of the bill are different to those of the petition, but some members remain unconvinced that there is now sufficient evidence in place to merit an outright ban being imposed.   

“We ask the Scottish Government to provide further information on the reasons for its support of the ban so that, as the bill progresses through parliament, members can be confident that a solid case has been made, based on transparent and clear evidence.”  

"We also ask that once this bill has progressed through its first stage of the parliamentary process, that the Scottish Government provide a full response to our interim report on petition PE1758.” 

According to data published by the national sporting regulator, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain in 2024, 123 track fatalities and 3,809 injuries were reported across the 21 licensed tracks in the UK. 

Reacting to the report, Mark Ruskell said: “I am delighted that the committee has supported the principles of my bill and that we are closer to ending this cruel practice.

“There is no safe or humane way to force dogs to run around an oval track at top speed, and it is time to end it for good. I will work with MSPs from all parties to ensure that this is the most robust bill it can be.

“I am looking forward to the stage one vote next week when I will put my case directly to the chamber and we can hopefully make another big step towards ending greyhound racing in Scotland.” 

Animal rights charity OneKind’s head of campaigns and media, Eve Massie Bishop, said on behalf of the Unbound the Greyhound coalition: “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 stage one debate on the Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill is set to take place next Thursday. 

A spokesperson for the GBGB said: “This is a vanity bill attempting to ban something which doesn’t currently take place.

“Communities across Scotland should be deeply concerned to see their priorities ignored, while this bill is allowed airtime. It is ban culture gone mad and has nothing at all to do with animal welfare.

“Committee time and resource have already been wasted duplicating a process the Scottish Government undertook in 2023 – that led the minister and officials to conclude a ban was not proportionate. This was echoed by the fact that there is disagreement among those who have scrutinised the proposals at stage one. It would be an embarrassment now to allow this bill to go any further and divert more precious legislative time ahead of an election.

“Indeed, those suggesting that this bill has any widespread public backing should look at who is leading the charge and why US campaigners – who have nothing to do with the Scottish public or its policymaking – are behind driving this unnecessary, unhelpful and damaging process.

“We remain grateful to those committee members who refused to support the bill and are committed to following the evidence, which shows that this bill will only risk harm to greyhounds by driving activity underground. As we have made clear repeatedly, a licensed, well-regulated sport is the only way to safeguard welfare now and in the future.

“If this bill can proceed, despite the overwhelming evidence proving it will deliver nothing of value for Scotland, we should all fear what may come next.”