Meeting of the Parliament 29 January 2026 [Draft]
::I begin by recognising the vitally important role that all dogs play in our communities, and their contribution to society. One of the biggest losses that I have had since becoming an MSP is the fact that I no longer have a dog that I can spend hours having endless fun with. It is important to recognise that we want to have the best relationship with our dogs that we can, and that welfare is a vital part of that.
I remind the Parliament that, when the bill was first proposed, the Government took a neutral stance. At that stage, the proposal sought to prohibit all greyhound racing in Scotland. Given the breadth of the proposal and the fact that the details of precisely what would be prohibited were still being developed, it was entirely pragmatic for the Government to reserve its position until the final content of the bill was known.
As the Parliament will be aware, the Scottish Government is also considering the feasibility of introducing statutory licensing for greyhound racing and whether that would drive the animal welfare improvements that we all want to see. The bill that is now before the Scottish Parliament is far more focused in scope, and it seeks specifically to prohibit the racing of greyhounds on oval tracks.
Currently, the Welsh Government is proposing a complete ban on greyhound racing in Wales. At this point, we believe that there is sufficient evidence to prohibit greyhound racing on oval tracks, but not on all tracks.
The Scottish Government is committed to setting the highest standards of animal welfare, and we believe that the stated aim of the bill is to address the inherent risks that are associated with running dogs at speed on oval tracks. Those are risks that, even with good practice, cannot be eliminated entirely, and risks that licensing would not be able to eliminate. Having carefully considered that evidence, the Scottish Government has agreed to support the general principles of the bill, recognising that it represents a proportionate response to those risks.