3 Jul 2023
Welfare groups says fatalities are still unacceptably high, despite a sharp fall in recorded deaths last year, as the sport’s governing body accused its critics of failing to offer “credible” evidence for abolition.
Allister Webb
Job Title
A veterinary group has backed calls for the abolition of British greyhound racing, despite new figures indicating a substantial fall in recorded fatalities last year.
The Progressive Veterinary Association’s (PVA) comments preceded attempts to disrupt the annual Greyhound Derby final at the weekend, which saw 13 people arrested.
The sport’s governing body has accused its critics of failing to offer “credible” evidence to support their stance against it.
But the PVA, along with several leading welfare organisations, is worried that the sport’s true casualty numbers are likely to be much higher than the sport claims.
The group said: “The fact that any dogs should have to suffer injuries or be euthanised for the sake of human entertainment is something for the whole of society to seriously question.”
Police said 10 people were arrested after protestors entered the track ahead of the feature race on Saturday 1 July.
Three others were detained earlier in the day and a plane trailing a banner bearing the message “Greyhound racing kills” was flown over the Northamptonshire venue during the meeting.
The action followed the publication of figures by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), which recorded a total of 306 deaths among the greyhound racing population in 2022.
The figure was down by 14.7% on the previous year and by nearly two thirds from the 932 fatalities recorded in 2018.
The report also recorded a total of 4,354 separate injuries, which the board claims equate to only 1.2% of all race runs.
GBGB chairman Jeremy Cooper said the figures demonstrated the “excellent progress” made by the sport in recent years was continuing.
He continued: “This sits in stark contrast to those who attack our sport and who are yet to offer any credible scientific or factual-based evidence that justifies their criticism of us.”
But Dogs Trust boss Owen Sharp, whose organisation is among several leading charities to be advocating the sport’s abolition, insisted the figures were still unacceptably high and many of its canine competitors were not adequately housed.
He said: “Greyhound racing must come to an end as quickly as possible to stop these completely avoidable deaths and serious injuries.”
Groups who advocate a ban argue the current approach to the sport is “incompatible” with animal welfare requirements and the true number of deaths and injuries associated with it will be higher, because figures for the tracks that operate outside GBGB regulation are not recorded, while the PVA says unraced dogs and puppies should also be considered.
More than 35,000 people signed an online petition calling for the sport to be banned in Wales and the Welsh Government has committed to holding a public consultation on its future regulation.
But there seems to be little sign of the UK Government adopting a similar approach after animal welfare minister Lord Benyon described the GBGB figures as “reassuring”.
