Greyhound Board of Great Britain Article for the Countryside Alliance

The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) was shocked and saddened by the news last month that the Welsh Government would move to ban greyhound racing. The announcement took place with representatives from the anti-greyhound racing group, Cut the Chase, looking on from the Senedd gallery, while those within the sport were offered no forewarning.

As many will know, this decision came about as part of a deal with the sole Liberal Democrat Senedd Member , Jane Dodds, who agreed not to oppose the Welsh Government Budget in exchange for some additional funding and a promise of a ban on greyhound racing. This rushed and ill-thought out decision was entirely political and no consideration appears to have been given at all to those who work in the sport or animal welfare.

GBGB has made clear its view that this is not the way that important decisions such as this should be made – particularly ones which have such serious implications for animal welfare and those whose livelihoods depend on a successful licensed racing industry. This disregard for the consequences was demonstrated by Jane Dodds, who is on record in the Senedd as saying “there are hardly any people” working in the industry in Wales.

The Welsh Government has still made no contact with GBGB following the announcement and it remains unclear whether this proposed ban will also have implications for greyhounds arriving in the UK through Fishguard or Holyhead port, or for trainers based in Wales who race their greyhounds across the border in England, or for punters who wish to bet on greyhound racing in England should the ban come into effect in Wales.

What licensing has meant for Valley Greyhound Stadium

Greyhound racing was initially put on the Welsh Government’s agenda in 2022, following a petition from Hope Rescue – a homing charity which had been very vocal in its opposition to racing – calling for the sport to be banned. At that time there were no licensed stadia in Wales. However in the years following this petition, Valley Stadium undertook considerable work to improve their standards and facilities as they sought to obtain a GBGB licence. They achieved this in August 2023, beginning regulated racing that Autumn.

Among the improvements made to bring the track up to GBGB’s high standards, the Stadium invested over £2 million in its facilities, including a new veterinary room, newly built kennelling facilities and an expertly prepared and maintained track surface. Furthermore, as a GBGB-licensed stadium, the Valley benefits from GBGB’s robust regulation, making many of the issues raised in the Hope Rescue petition irrelevant. Our regulatory and welfare measures include:

• A veterinary surgeon on site – for all trials and races, inspecting the dogs before and after racing to ensure their continued welfare;
• Our Greyhound Retirement Scheme – under which greyhound owners must contribute £210 towards their greyhound’s eventual retirement at the point of registering them with GBGB; this is matched by GBGB when a greyhound enters one of our approved homing centres and is used to help to cover the costs associated with a greyhound’s stay there;
• Stipendiary Stewards – who inspect kennels at least twice a year to ensure the living conditions of greyhounds are up to our high standards;
• Regional Regulatory Vets (RRV) – who regularly visit trainers’ residential kennels and licensed stadia to provide veterinary advice to GBGB licence-holders. Starting in 2025, the RRVs are now conducting the comprehensive Annual Veterinary Kennel Inspection at all residential kennels; any issues which are identified here must be resolved before a trainer’s licence can be renewed;
• An annual inspection of stadia by Stipendiary Stewards – which is conducted at the track to ensure it meets our high standards of track maintenance and greyhound welfare. This inspection is overseen by independent auditors as part of GBGB’s UKAS accreditation;
• A range of policies and procedures – including our Weather Extremes Policy which prohibits racing in extreme weather conditions and our Fireworks Policy which seeks to ensure greyhounds are not exposed to noise from local firework displays;
• Our Injury Retirement Scheme – which provides financial assistance to any owner whose greyhound has sustained a career-ending orthopaedic injury at a GBGB licensed racecourse;
• Independent racing surface specialists STRI – who regularly inspect the track and provide advice on how to optimise safety on the track;
• Our Code of Practice for Residential Kennels – authored by esteemed Greyhound Veterinary Surgeon Dr Polly Smith. The Code sets out standards and guidance for trainers on a range of issues from nutrition and hydration to dental care as well as environmental enrichment and exercise, to ensure that all physical and emotional welfare needs are met;
• Standards for greyhound transport – including maintaining a temperature of between 10°C and 26°C, adequate ventilation and strict specifications for the size of travel cages.

The measures GBGB has in place for registered racing greyhounds offer far more protection than exists for domestic pets.

As a licensed stadium, the Valley has also made a tremendous contribution to the local community, both as a social hub and an economic contributor. The stadium employs almost 50 people, ten of whom are full-time, with ten licensed trainers and their employees also dependent on the track. In addition to this, the track seeks primarily to use local suppliers including for their racing sand and betting partnerships.

Beyond the Valley: A Good Life For Every Greyhound

Almost three years ago, GBGB launched its long-term welfare strategy, A Good Life For Every Greyhound. Led by Independent Director Professor Madeleine Campbell (an EBVS® European Veterinary Specialist and a RCVS Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law) this comprehensive and wide-ranging strategy seeks to further optimise the care and protection that racing greyhounds receive throughout their lives – not just the period they are racing. The strategy has been externally peer-reviewed by respected veterinarians in the field of animal welfare.

The strategy makes clear the ways in which, as the sport’s regulator, GBGB expects and requires all such stakeholders to fully engage in protecting and optimising the welfare of the greyhounds under their care across all stages of a greyhound’s life: breeding, rearing, racing years and retirement. GBGB has recently reported on the improvements made to greyhound welfare through the strategy, including:

• A full team of five Regional Regulatory Vets who are now on hand to support licence holders;
• Residential kennels now receive independent inspections as part of GBGB’s UKAS accreditation;
• All racecourses must have their own injury recovery scheme from 2025 to fully support greyhounds following any injury;
• Almost half a million pounds in Trainer Development Grants has been awarded to support improvements to trainers’ kennel facilities;
• Comprehensive Continuous Professional Development is available to all licence-holders on topics ranging from kennel health and breeding to nutrition and behaviour.

The Consultation on Licensing of Animal Activities, Establishments and Exhibits

The Welsh Government launched a consultation on the Licensing of Animal Activities, Establishments and Exhibits in December 2023. The consultation included two questions on greyhound racing, as well as questions on other animal activities such as animal sanctuaries, pet groomers and doggy daycare centres, although notably excluded other animal sports such as horseracing and dog agility.

The outcomes of this consultation showed support for licensing of all activities, including greyhound racing. While it initially seems from the analysis that there was considerable support for a ban on greyhound racing, 40% of those responses in support of a ban were duplicate submissions from the League Against Cruel Sports. There was, in fact, an almost equal number of individual responses supporting and opposing a ban when these duplicates were excluded.

Throughout the consultation process, despite repeated attempts to engage with the Minister, including offering invitations to visit the Valley, the Minister has not responded to any such letters from GBGB. Likewise, neither he nor his team of officials have visited the Valley as part of the consultation and decision-making process. Furthermore, despite being completed prior to the Valley making the necessary improvements to become licensed, Hope Rescue’s petition remains a regular reference point for the Welsh Government to demonstrate the ‘strength of feeling’ against the sport in Wales.

To take the decision to ban greyhound racing on the basis of emotive arguments while ignoring o the robust and unequivocal evidence GBGB provided sets a dangerous precedent. There is nothing to say that should dissenting voices get their way with greyhound racing then they won’t then turn their attention to other rural pursuits next – horseracing, pigeon racing, dog agility testing and even fishing. Wales has three horseracing tracks and these are almost certainly in these animal rights groups’ sights. Of course, this isn’t the first time the Welsh Government has disregarded evidence and instead chosen to base its views on public opinion – a recent example being that of the ban on the use of humane restraints (HRs) in predator control. In this instance it has opted to take the numbers from a ‘he who shouts loudest’ standard generated email campaign.

Banning something which when properly conducted is not an animal welfare concern is wrong, unprincipled and disproportionate. If the Welsh Government is genuinely concerned with animal welfare then proper regulation and not a ban is the way to address concerns around unregulated racing, as it is across so many other activities involving animals.

While the Welsh Government consider their next steps on how this proposed ban might be implemented, the Valley will continue to host their usual schedule of greyhound racing, providing the same care and attention to every racing greyhound, while supporting the local community of Ystrad Mynach.

This article was written by Mark Bird on behalf of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain.