Closed petition Ban greyhound racing in Wales

In Wales we have one independent greyhound track racing once a week. Since April 2018, Hope Rescue & their rescue partners have taken in almost 200 surplus greyhounds from this track, 40 of which sustained injuries. There are plans for the track to become a Greyhound Board of Great Britain track, racing four times a week, greatly increasing the number of surplus dogs & injuries. Greyhound racing is inherently cruel & greyhounds have little legal protection. It is already banned in 41 US states.

More details

Campaign groups have collated data and evidence of poor welfare within greyhound racing in the U.K.

Alliance Against Greyhound Racing: https://www.aagr.org.uk/category/why-is-greyhound-racing-cruel/

League Against Cruel Sports: https://www.league.org.uk/greyhound-racing

There have also been press articles and undercover investigations in to greyhound racing:

RTE Investigates: Greyhounds Running For Their Lives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYTb2qBjlMM

Panorama investigates: Doping and rigging bets
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0p0bHSkIAk

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jun/26/activists-renew-calls-to-end-greyhound-racing-as-400-die-despite-lockdowns

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/greyhounds-being-shipped-pakistan-illegal-23765480

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/13086085/british-greyhounds-racing-dogs-mass-graves-bolt/

A recent petition is due to be debated in Parliament after securing 104,882 signatures.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/554073

This petition is now under consideration by the Petitions Committee

Petitions that collect more than 250 signatures are discussed by the Petitions Committee

Find out about the Petitions Committee’s discussion of this petition

35,101 signatures

Show on a map

10,000

The Senedd debated this topic

This topic was debated on 8 March 2023

Watch the petition ‘Ban greyhound racing in Wales’ being debated

The report of the Petitions Committee, ‘The Final Bend?’ was debated by the Senedd in Plenary on 08 March 2023.

Other Senedd business

Committee Report

The Petitions Committee published its report on Petition P-06-1253 Ban greyhound racing in Wales on 15 December 2022: https://senedd.wales/media/leyh4d3l/cr-ld15555-e.pdf.

Open Consultation

A consultation has been launched by the Welsh Government to hear views on the licensing of animal welfare establishments, activities and exhibits.

This consultation gives consideration to the possibility of licensing owners, keepers and trainers of racing dogs such as greyhounds, including a request for evidence to justify or negate consideration of a phased ban on dog racing in future.

This consultation is open until 1 March 2024 and can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.wales/licensing-animal-welfare-establishments-activities-and-exhibits.