Greyhound racing will be prohibited in Wales

On March 8th, the petition will be debated in the Senedd.

On Wednesday, February 15, the Minister for Rural Affairs, who is in charge of animal welfare in Wales, informed Senedd members that she has finally responded to a recent report from the Petitions Committee. The majority of members agreed in the study that the sport should be phased out in Wales. This followed the creation of a petition, which received over 35,000 signatures.

Malcom Tams, the owner of Valleys Greyhounds in Caerphilly, Wales' final greyhound track, said he will initiate a petition in reaction to the government's present position and doubts the plans will be implemented. The RSPCA Cymru has encouraged the Welsh authorities to put an end to the sport.

On March 8th, the petition will be debated in the Senedd.

Mr Tams, who has been in the company for 50 years, is still deciding if it will be released soon. In an interview with freebets.ltd.uk, he stated:

"If it did happen, it would take a long time. Even more so if we start a petition against the idea and more people sign it."

"I am quite frankly shocked to hear that they are backing the petition because if they ban greyhound racing here you'd think they would also be doing it in England. I bet the original petition wasn't even signed entirely by people in Wales so I don't know what to say."

"I'm a business owner in this area, and I've put a lot of money into building a business here. I don't think enough research has been done on how I work and whether or not people in Wales want greyhound racing banned."

While the rest of the UK allows greyhound racing, many other countries have already outlawed it. Wales, unlike England, has no explicit legislation or rules governing greyhound racing. It is also one of just ten locations where greyhound racing will continue to be profitable in 2023.

Greyhound welfare experts at the RSPCA are concerned that the sport puts greyhounds in unnecessary danger of terrible injury and death. The RSPCA believes that legislation will not adequately protect greyhound welfare. Dr Samantha Gaines, head of the RSPCA's companion animal department, stated:

"This is a huge moment for dog welfare by the Welsh Government committing to a consultation on cutting the chase, by phasing out greyhound racing in Wales."

"There are welfare problems with greyhound racing in Wales, but it's hard to know how bad they are because there aren't any vets at the track, and no rule says injuries or deaths must be reported. But as long as this sport is allowed, dogs will continue to be in danger of severe injury or death for no reason.

The charity recently conducted an internal study in collaboration with the Dogs Trust that examined every aspect of a racing greyhound's existence. The findings revealed serious issues at every stage, including poor welfare requirements for kenneling and dog travel.

The Welsh Parliament made five suggestions in its report. One was to consider the well-being of dogs passing through Wales on their way to races. Another was for the Welsh Government to collaborate with industry to determine how they would comply with any new rules or regulations. The Minister disagreed with the Senedd's sole proposal. It stated that if the Welsh Government contemplates outlawing greyhound racing, it should review all animal-related sports.

By fLEXI tEAM