Scottish Government to support Green Bill to end greyhound racing

The Scottish Government has confirmed it will back new legislation to end greyhound racing in Scotland – with ministers saying there are “genuine risks” to dogs from the sport.

Agriculture minister Jim Fairlie said the Government would support the general principles of a member’s Bill from Green MSP Mark Ruskell to ban it.

The legislation seeks to make it an offence to operate a racing track for greyhounds, and for a dog owner to race their animal on one.

It comes after the Welsh Government announced in February this year that greyhound racing will be banned there “as soon as practically possible”.

The Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Scotland) Bill has already been backed by animal rights organisations.

In a letter to Mr Ruskell, the minister said that the Government “acknowledges that there are genuine risks associated with racing greyhounds around tracks of oval design” adding “this is supported by evidence”.

Mr Fairlie said the oval tracks “inevitably cause racing greyhounds to bunch together in  the tight turns”, which can lead to collisions, “thereby increasing the risk of serious injuries” to the dogs.

The minister confirmed: “Having considered the Bill’s provisions, the Scottish Government’s position is that we will support its general principles.”

However, he said that the Government would work with Mr Ruskell to seek to make some changes to the Bill – saying they want ministers to be able to set the date when the legislation comes into force, rather than have it come in 12 months after gaining Royal Assent.

Scottish ministers also want to make amendments to the enforcement provisions outlined in the Bill.

Mr Ruskell said he was “delighted that the Government is backing my bill”.

The Green MSP, who has a former racing greyhound as a pet, stated: “This is a big step towards ensuring that we protect our greyhounds and halt this cruel gambling-led sport for good.”

He added that with countries such as Wales and also New Zealand taking action on greyhound racing “we can’t let Scotland fall behind the pack”.

Mr Ruskell said: “If we are a nation of dog lovers then we need to back that up with words and deeds, and deliver real protections.

“My own dog Bert is an ex-racing greyhound. When I rescued him, he was around two years old and had been discarded with a broken leg that had never been properly treated.

“He’s now 13 years old and a completely different dog who has brought such love into our family, but he should never have been put through trauma caused by racing to begin with.

“There are dogs like Bert all over Scotland and my Bill will ensure that they are no longer being damaged and then discarded.”

Eve Massie Bishop of animal campaign group OneKind – which leads the Unbound the Greyhound coalition against racing – said: “The public’s appetite for greyhound racing has dramatically dwindled, as awareness of the inherent suffering faced by dogs trapped in this dire industry has continued to grow.

“It’s time to bring this outdated industry to an end and we’re grateful to the Scottish Government for backing a ban.”