THE Scottish Government is “not persuaded of the need” for a ban on greyhound racing, with a minister saying such a move is not “proportionate”.
A ban has been proposed in a long-running petition before the Scottish Parliament as well as an upcoming member’s bill tabled by Green MSP Mark Ruskell.
There is currently only one operating track in Scotland at Thornton near Kirkcaldy, Fife, with another in the Shawfield area of Glasgow not having opened since the pandemic.
Appearing before the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on Wednesday, Government minister Jim Fairlie said: “At this time, the Scottish Government is not persuaded of the need to ban greyhound racing in Scotland.
READ MORE: Scottish ban on greyhound racing proposed in new bill
“In particular, we are not convinced that a ban on greyhound racing in Scotland is proportionate and a fair response to the animal welfare concerns arising from the practice.”
Despite not being convinced of an outright ban, the minister said the Government is looking into the possibility of a licensing scheme, which could see animal welfare breaches result in a licence being revoked.
Fairlie went on to say attendances has dropped at Thornton – a track not regulated by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) – as the popularity of the sport wanes north of the border.
There is also a lack of evidence from Thornton on the number of deaths and injuries caused to the animals, he said, compared to figures from the GBGB which showed 22,284 injuries in the UK between 2018 and 2022.
A total of 2718 dogs died during the same period due to a number of factors, although the annual number of deaths has dropped around two-thirds in that time.
He added that dogs at Thornton often have better animal welfare because they are considered “family pets” rather than professional racing dogs, although he was unable to provide evidence to support his assertion.
One piece of evidence the minister did use was a message he was sent from a friend who races greyhounds.
“I have a friend who has rescued greyhounds over a number of years, and I contacted him and asked him what was the reality here in Scotland and he sent me this response,” the minister said.
“My greyhounds were all rescues, failed racers,” he quoted his friend as saying.
“However, I did race them with great success and – I add – all were kept until the day they died.
READ MORE: 'It's time to put paws before profits and ban greyhound racing in Scotland'
“Jim, the dogs love racing, it’s just the same as them doing agility or flyball – as usual the fault is with owners.”
The main problem, the friend reported, is professional trainers who discard dogs “as if they are of no use” if they do not yield success on the track and “only want to own a winner”.
Committee convener Finlay Carson, appearing somewhat taken aback by the minister’s evidence, said: “With all due respect, can I remind you that you’re here speaking on behalf of the Scottish Government – you’re the minister – so it’s the Government’s position we want on this.”
Responding to accusations that his evidence was “anecdotal”, Fairlie said he remains “open” to further evidence.
The minister – a long-time farmer – also told MSPs there is a social aspect to dog racing that the Government is reticent to see end.
“I would like to go to the track and go and have a look for myself and see what is happening at the track,” he said.
“I just don’t want the Government to ban something that is part of the social fabric of that community on the basis of stuff that we haven’t fully explored, so I would like to explore it further.”
Fairlie also refused to say if the Government agreed with a report by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC), which claimed greyhounds in Scotland have worse health outcomes than other dogs.
Nor did he agree with the SAWC that using kennels to house dogs “do not appear compatible with giving dogs a good quality of life”, citing his own experiences owning working dogs.
“They have been more than happy to live in kennels,” he said.
“I had no animal welfare concerns about any of my dogs or any of the conditions of any of my shepherd friends or farming friends.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel