Greyhound racing to be outlawed in Scotland

Greyhound racing is to be outlawed in Scotland with MSPs set to pass a ban.

The sport already faced extinction after the country's last track - Thornton Stadium in Kirkcaldy, Fife - closed last year.

Animal welfare campaigners said the proposed legislation would stop greyhounds being maimed and killed, but critics called it a needless bill that would not improve animal welfare.

The Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Scotland) Bill, tabled by Green MSP Mark Russell, will make it an offence to allow a greyhound to compete on an oval racetrack in Scotland, with a maximum prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to £20,000.

It is set to pass after the government dropped its opposition to the bill, with a vote scheduled for 22:00.

In a brief debate ahead of the vote, Ruskell told MSPs: "Racing greyhounds at up to speeds of 40pmh 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."

The MSP insisted greyhound racing was not a "harmless hobby enterprise", and added that Scotland "cannot be left behind" as other countries have banned the sport.

There were once more than 20 greyhound racing tracks in Scotland, with thousands of spectators filling stadiums across the country during its heyday in the early 20th century.

Now, there are thought to be fewer than 30 greyhound racers left in in the country.

With no active tracks north of the border, they have to travel to England, Wales or Ireland to race.

Lorraine Baker, who runs the Scottish Greyhound Sanctuary, said it was "unjustifiable" to legally allow racing.

At Holyrood with 18-month-old rescue dog Oscar, she told BBC Scotland News the ban was necessary to shut the door on the possibility of any tracks reopening.

A further 3,809 injuries were recorded.

"The statistics speak for themselves," Baker said.

"Labradors and spaniels aren't killed in these numbers - greyhounds deserve the same life that every other dog deserves."

She said a Scottish ban would add "impetus" to outlaw the sport across the UK, instead of leaving dogs like Oscar "abandoned and abused".

Paul Brignal has owned Thornton Stadium since 2002 but closed the track last year, citing concerns about the bill.

He told BBC Scotland News it was "beyond belief" that he government had changed its mind and called the ban a "huge waste of taxpayers money".

Brignal said that six serious injuries had been recorded at Thornton between 2022 and 2025, including one dog that was put down after suffering a broken leg.

He predicted that with his track shut, greyhound racing would die out in Scotland.

Mark Bird, chief executive of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, said he was "astounded" that MSPs would back a ban.

"The bill is unevidenced, illogical and will help no-one in Scotland - least of all greyhounds," he said.

Bird added: "In the final weeks before an important election, Scottish constituents will find it simply unbelievable that their representatives have wasted hours of precious parliamentary time introducing a law to ban something that does not even exist in their nation and which will have no impact at all on animal welfare."

According to the RSPCA, there are only nine countries in the world that still allow commercial greyhound racing, including all four UK nations.

Initially, the Scottish government said it was not convinced of the need for a ban.

Instead ministers said they would consider a licensing scheme for owners and trainers who would be penalised if they breached animal welfare standards.

However, the government changed its position ahead of the final vote.

Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie told parliament that the government was confident that greyhound racing "on oval tracks exposes dogs to significant risks that cannot be eliminated by other measures".

But Conservative MSP Finlay Carson said the bill was a "waste of precious parliamentary time" that would not improve the safety of any dogs, calling it "jester politics" and "virtue-signalling legislation".

He said licensing would improve the welfare of dogs, but that option had not been considered by Holyrood.

The Tory also noted that the Welsh ban was already facing a legal challenge.

Labour's Rhoda Grant said animal welfare should be reformed, but that this bill would not deliver the changes needed.

She told MSPs that a new track would not have received planning permission, adding it "beggars belief" parliament found time to debate a bill that does "little or nothing" for greyhound safety.