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Scotland and Wales have both agreed to ban greyhound racing.
Members of the Scottish Parliament voted in favor of a ban just 24 hours after the Welsh Senedd passed a similar bill. Greyhound racing remains legal in England and Ireland, though the Welsh and Scottish bans have reignited debate over the sport.
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According to Animal Aid UK, more than 4,000 dogs were killed or euthanized in the greyhound racing industry between 2017 and 2024. Greyhounds are often subjected to forced doping, and 13 dogs tested positive for cocaine in Scotland in a single year. The League Against Cruel Sports has said that 3,809 dogs (nearly 25 percent of all raced greyhounds) sustained injuries in 2024, and at least 123 died by the track.
Scotland’s last greyhound racing track, the Thornton Stadium in Fife, closed last year, and Valley Greyhounds in Caerphilly is the only remaining track in Wales. The Greyhound Board of Great Britain submitted a legal challenge to the proposed Welsh ban, but this was dismissed by two High Court judges just a few days later.
The soonest greyhound racing could be banned in Wales is April 2027, and the latest is April 2030. Under the Scottish ban, people convicted of illegal greyhound racing could face up to five years in prison and up to £20,000 in fines.
Scotland’s Prohibition of Greyhound Racing Bill was tabled by Green MSP Mark Russell, who said, “Racing greyhounds at up to speeds of 40mph around an oval track results in catastrophic injuries and deaths. Dogs break their legs, break their backs, end up paralysed and with serious head trauma,” as reported by the BBC.
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‘Greyhounds are not commodities’
The Unbound the Greyhound coalition, which includes nine animal welfare organizations working together towards a ban, welcomed the news.
Eve Massie Bishop, the head of campaigns and media at OneKind, one of the Unbound coalition members, said, “This victory shows what can happen when a dedicated group of animal welfare organisations and passionate individuals stand together to demand better for Scotland’s greyhounds.”
“We are very grateful to Mark Ruskell MSP, whose steadfast advocacy has made this historic moment possible. We also want to thank the Scottish Government for following the evidence and listening to public sentiment,” she added. “Today sends a powerful message: greyhounds are not commodities to be used for financial gain – they are individuals, and are beloved pet dogs, who deserve to be safe and loved.”
