Welfare of greyhounds used for racing: report

3. Background and definition of area of analysis

The Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment (RAINE) Committee of Scottish Parliament wrote to SAWC on 29^th April 2022 as part of its consideration of a public petition, PE1758, calling for an end to greyhound racing in Scotland submitted by Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation (SAGE). The Committee asked SAWC for its views on the welfare of greyhounds racing in Scotland generally, specifically its views on unlicensed greyhound tracks operating in Scotland, and what consideration SAWC had given to including the welfare of racing greyhounds in its workplan. Prior to this letter SAWC had already responded to queries about whether it would consider the welfare of racing greyhounds as part of its workplan. At the time SAWC was aware that Dogs Trust and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), had independently commissioned a report into the welfare of greyhounds and did not wish to repeat work that was already being undertaken in this area. SAWC had not undertaken a detailed investigation of the area at the time of the RAINE letter and responded generally to the request for information, in a letter on 23^rd May 2022. Subsequently, the GBGB racetrack at Shawfield Stadium, Glasgow, which had closed temporarily during the COVID pandemic restrictions, did not reopen and plans to demolish that stadium have been raised. This left a single greyhound racing track, Thornton Stadium, in Fife, as the only location in Scotland where greyhound racing takes place. Following a change in policy by Dogs Trust, RSPCA and Blue Cross to call for a phased end to greyhound racing in the UK, and communicated to SAWC and others in September 2022, the RAINE Committee again wrote to SAWC on 31^st October 2022 asking for views on the change in policy. In response to this request and to review the work by Dogs Trust, RSPCA and Blue Cross, SAWC implemented a Working Group to address the issue of the welfare of greyhounds used in racing in Scotland.

The focus of SAWC is on the welfare of greyhounds – during the course of our work other public good or impacts were presented by stakeholders in the context of greyhound racing. In the course of the report we will mention those if relevant, but our remit and focus has been solely on the welfare of the dogs. In the debate around this issue the term 'cruelty' has frequently been used, sometimes as a synonym for welfare. It is important to emphasise that these are not the same thing. Cruelty is the deliberate or negligent mistreatment of animals, by commission or omission, which causes an animal unnecessary suffering. Animal welfare considers the balance of positive and negative experiences an animal may have, and whether actions or activities have the potential, on balance, to cause greater negative welfare states than positive ones. In terms of welfare, sometimes termed Quality of Life, we have used the definition presented by SAWC as its guiding principle for conducting its work, that is: 'the mental and physical state of an individual as it experiences and engages with its environment' as published at this link. In our consideration of the various issues, therefore, the impact that each has on both the mental and physical state of a greyhound is relevant.

This work has focused on addressing a number of key areas, similar to those posed originally by the RAINE Committee: 1) to formulate a view on the welfare of racing greyhounds in Scotland generally; 2) specifically to consider the welfare of dogs running on unlicensed greyhound racing tracks operating in Scotland; and 3) to consider whether the welfare of greyhounds would be protected by implementing regulatory mechanisms, such as those suggested by GBGB, but not limited to this body.

Description of the issue

Welfare of greyhounds used in racing in Scotland

Greyhound racing has been in decline since its heyday in the 1930s and Scotland now has only one active greyhound stadium. There are no available figures for the number of dogs currently training and racing in Scotland. Anecdotally, there are often insufficient dogs racing in Scotland to hold races more than once a week, sometimes fewer, but dogs can be trained in Scotland and raced in England (e.g., at Newcastle or Sunderland). GBGB figures suggest that in 2021 there were just more than 18,000 greyhounds eligible to race in the UK^[1]on GBGBGBGB-licensed tracks, with 6,700 new registrations that year, but the number of these dogs based in Scotland is unclear. GBGB confirms that there are 26 licensed trainers operating in Scotland, with varying numbers of dogs per trainer.^[2]

To properly assess the welfare of greyhounds we need to consider the potential for welfare harms or benefits to be experienced by dogs from birth, through training, racing and into retirement. There is a wide range of issues that can impact on their welfare, including the conditions under which dogs are bred, reared, trained, raced, retired, rehomed (if this occurs), and end-of-life care. Also of relevance are the welfare of the parent animals, the loss (sometimes termed "wastage") of dogs that might be bred to race but never do so, and transport of dogs between breeders, trainers and to and from races.

In our investigation we have also sought to determine if the welfare challenges to racing greyhounds could be amenable to improvement through improved regulation. Within this framework we consider there are welfare problems that dogs may experience as a result of inadequate care or habitual poor practice, which may have become normalised for the industry if this is common practice, or deliberate mistreatment. Examples of this type of welfare issue include aspects of management, poor handling of dogs and the deliberate administration of banned substances to greyhounds. This category of welfare problems, whilst they may be severe, could still be mitigated by effective regulation, enforcement and training of industry personnel.

There may also be more pernicious and challenging aspects of the welfare of racing greyhounds where the practice is inherently bad for the quality of life of the dogs. For these issues, if they exist, there appears to be less scope for mitigation, and it is unclear if improved regulation could address the issues.

Welfare of dogs running on independent or 'flapping' tracks

There are 20 active greyhound racing stadia in the UK, which are regulated by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain^[3] and two stadia which are independent (one in Wales and one in Scotland). The Welsh Valley Stadium is now in the process of becoming regulated by GBGB (planned for January 2024), so that Scotland will soon be home to the only independent greyhound stadium in the UK. Independent tracks are not affiliated to any governing body, and there is no requirement to collect or publish information on numbers of owners, trainers or greyhounds involved in racing at these tracks, or data on injuries or fatalities at the track. In Scotland the only GBGB-licensed track, Shawfield stadium, is not active, although still listed on the GBGB website. The only active track is the independent track, Thornton Stadium, in Fife.

We specifically considered whether there were particular risks to welfare for dogs running on independent racetracks compared to regulated tracks and whether welfare risks could be mitigated by implementing changes.

Regulation of the welfare of racing greyhounds

In Scotland all dogs, regardless of whether they are racing or not, are covered by the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, which requires owners or keepers to exercise a duty of care to the welfare of their animals. In England, the use of racing greyhounds is also subjected to the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations, 2010. In Scotland, however, there are no special provisions or legislation to cover the commercial use of animals in racing. A statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs^[4] also applies to all dogs in Scotland as part of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

Greyhounds are also subject to a number of other pieces of legislation, including:

Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Scotland) Regulations 2006; Microchipping of Dogs (Scotland) Regulations, 2016; Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021. None of these pieces of legislation specifically covers welfare issues relating to dog racing, but they do provide some protections for dogs in all contexts in Scotland.

There are a number of additional initiatives that have focused on attempts to ensure the welfare of greyhounds in racing. A coalition of animal welfare organisations, industry representatives and other stakeholders, the Greyhound Forum has been established for many years with the aim of improving greyhound welfare. This is an advisory body, without a regulatory function, but has driven several changes to improve greyhound welfare, including the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations (2010) in England, and development of a Code of Practice for trainers' kennels.

Greyhound racing on most racetracks in the UK, with the exception of the independent tracks mentioned above, is self-regulated under the policies and regulation of GBGB. In 2018 this body published The Greyhound Commitment, which introduced initiatives such as the Greyhound Retirement Scheme, Injury Recovery Scheme, and independent kennel inspections. In 2022, GBGB also published a welfare strategy 'A Good Life for Every Greyhound' with a number of recommendations and actions written within the framework of the Five Domains model of animal welfare.^[5]

In this area of work we considered the ability of these mechanisms to meet the welfare needs of racing greyhounds and to ensure a good quality of life for greyhounds, considering also the enforcement and powers that any of the non-legislative routes may have in improving the welfare of greyhounds.