The UK government has confirmed it has no immediate plans to ban greyhound racing in the country. 

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) declared the government’s stance in response to a petition calling for the sport to be outlawed in the UK.

Under UK petition law, the government must respond after a petition receives 10,000 signatures. After 100,000 signatures, the matter will be considered for debate in parliament.

Titled “Ban greyhound racing”, the petition was created by Animal Aid head of campaigns and comms Michelle Masterton-Smith. At the time of writing, the petition has 13,551 signatures.

In February, the Welsh government announced plans to ban greyhound racing in the country following pressure from political parties, a government consultation, and a petition which garnered more than 35,000 signatures. 

The UK-focused petition states: “Greyhound racing kills and injures dogs. From 2017–2023, 1,230 dogs died trackside, many more were destroyed, and there were over 31,000 injuries. We believe it’s time to follow Wales and ban this cruel sport. 

“The industry breeds more dogs than are needed for racing – approximately 15,000-20,000 dogs are bred in Ireland each year, and some are also bred in Britain. We are concerned that dogs live in poor kennel conditions, and overbreeding creates a surplus, overwhelming rescue centres.”

Important contribution

In response, DEFRA reiterated that greyhound racing was safe for the foreseeable future, citing welfare protections already in place. 

The response read: “The government has no plans to ban greyhound racing. While the government recognises the concerns some people have about greyhound racing, there is legislation in place to protect the welfare of racing greyhounds in England and a regulatory body – the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) – that has made many improvements to greyhound welfare. 

“The government also recognises the important contribution greyhound racing makes to the country’s cultural life and its rural economy, providing some 5,400 jobs across Great Britain as well as being the sixth most popular sport in terms of viewership. 

“Given the work being undertaken to improve greyhound welfare, and the protections in place, the government does not believe it is necessary to ban greyhound racing.  

“However, the government will continue to monitor GBGB’s progress and, should further measures and protections be required, the government will consider options that are targeted, effective and proportionate.” 

A similar petition was filed in Scotland earlier this year by Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation founder Gill Docherty, which went on to be the “most signed in Scottish parliament history”. 

As reported by Earnings and More, British Greyhound Racing Fund (BGRF) chair Joe Scanlon has claimed greyhound racing was over-saturated in the UK, resulting in a decline in quality across meetings.

He said: “Every bookmaker I speak to tells me there is an overprovision of greyhound meetings. It is estimated that average betting turnover per race is impacted by as much as 20% in a five-runner race as opposed to a full field. 

“In addition, it’s not unusual to see races of fewer than five runners forming part of the daily fixture list.”

The post UK government “has no plans to ban greyhound racing” despite petition first appeared on EGR Intel.