New campaign group criticises BVA animals in sport policy as a ‘rehash’

A new BVA policy paper on the involvement of animals in performance sport has been denounced as lacking “purpose and practical application”.

The claim was made by a newly formed campaign group which said it wants to promote humane behaviour and ensure welfare legislation is properly enforced.

Meanwhile, the policy has been endorsed by officials from one heavily scrutinised discipline.

Ethical position

Although the document made a range of recommendations for improvement when it was finally published last month, it did not contain any specific comment on individual sports.

It also adopted a broader ethical position that responsible and compassionate use of animals is acceptable with “due regard” for their welfare.

But a new organisation known as Lawyers for Animals, which recently hosted a launch event in London, accused the BVA of producing a “rehash of animal sport industry rhetoric” without questioning existing standards or proposing practical measures. Horse campaign lead Dene Stansall said: “The BVA had an opportunity to make serious improvements to animals’ lives.

“Disappointingly, this document lacks purpose and practical application. It ensures support and retention for the use of animals in sport.”

‘Aspirational’

Speaking prior to the group’s comments, BVA president Rob Williams rejected suggestions the document was effectively promoting the status quo and argued it should be seen as “aspirational”.

He said: “It’s recognising there is actually a lot of good work done in the use of animals in sport from a welfare perspective, but creating a framework to help think about how people might go about improving them.

“I think some of the recommendations are recommendations to improve or take best practice and deploy best practice across all settings.”

Duty of care

But Mr Stansall argued one of the paper’s key recommendations, formal recognition of a lifelong duty of care for animals bred to participate in sport, had never been seriously addressed and was “unlikely to be” because of the number of animals involved in its various codes.

The policy has, however, been supported by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) which claimed the document was “entirely in alignment” with its own welfare strategy.

Its statement in response to the policy’s publication said: “Ways in which the lived welfare experiences of racing greyhounds are being constantly improved, across all five domains of welfare and across greyhounds’ entire lifetimes, are described in progress reports upon that strategy’s implementation.

“This includes protections both at and away from the racecourse which are monitored through UKAS-accredited inspections and audits.”

Under threat

However, the sport remains under threat from legislative proposals for bans in both Scotland and Wales, the latter of which is subject to a legal challenge by GBGB.

A petition signed by more than 55,000 people demanding similar action in England was recently delivered to Downing Street, though the UK Government has indicated it has no current plans to legislate.