Meeting of the Parliament 29 January 2026 [Draft]
::The bill has been a long time coming, and I thank Mark Ruskell for all his work and determination in getting it to stage 1.
I am not going to mince my words. Greyhound racing is barbaric and I abhor it. I am completely baffled by Rhoda Grant and the Labour Party, and Finlay Carson and the Tories, who talk about animal welfare but are not prepared to agree to the general principles of the bill. It just does not make any sense at all.
Animals are not a product or a commodity to be used for human entertainment and profit. Between 2017 and 2020, 15 greyhounds died at Shawfield stadium in Glasgow, which is a licensed stadium. Countless greyhounds were injured or disposed of, which is often referred to by the sector as wastage. It is disgusting. Thankfully, Shawfield is now closed. To go back to the convener’s point, Thornton track is not licensed or regulated, so we will never know how many animals die or are injured and suffer at that facility, and no vet is ever present when the dogs race.
Great work by campaigners has highlighted serious welfare concerns for racing greyhounds, including a culture of drugging dogs, giving them a poor diet and, once their so-called career is over, an uncertain fate, which often includes euthanasia. I recently saw a horrific video of a dog being trapped in the pen as it tried to run out when the starter gun fired. No animal should suffer like that. These beautiful, gentle dogs spend most of their time in often dank, dirty kennels and suffer untreated wounds and injuries. They may be constantly muzzled, which is unbearably stressful for them. They are forced to race during 32°C heat, and that is downright cruelty.
Enough is enough. The abuse of these beautiful, gentle dogs must end now. Scotland now has the chance to end that barbarity and prove that we are a caring, compassionate nation in which animals are treated with the respect that they deserve. In the name of kindness, I urge members to support the bill at stage 1.