Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 29 January 2026 [Draft]
29 Jan 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
::To be fair, all that the bill does is put on pressure. There are no greyhounds being raced in Scotland at the moment, and should the bill pass, that situation will be exactly the same. It does not take into account the welfare of greyhounds that are raced elsewhere. It seems to me that it is just sending a signal, which is a luxury that we cannot afford when there is so much time pressure on the Parliament.
I said that the bill bans only oval greyhound racetracks; it does not ban straight ones, which committee evidence suggested were safer. There is nothing to prevent anyone from opening, say, a figure-of-eight track, which, given the sharper bends, would surely be more dangerous.
There are powers in the bill to allow ministers to change the definitions by subordinate legislation, but that would cause a delay, so I am concerned about that as well.
That being said, Scottish Labour is committed to improving the welfare of dogs. We need to deal with the complex issues that surround the breeding, selling, theft and mistreatment of all dogs. We will therefore abstain on the bill at stage 1. Should it progress—should it have time to progress in this session—we will work hard to improve it. [Interruption.]
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
::The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-20527, in the name of Mark Ruskell, on the Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill at stage 1. I ca...
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Green
::I am very proud to bring to the chamber a bill that gives us a momentous opportunity to end greyhound racing in Scotland and the suffering that those wonde...
Finlay Carson (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Con
::I congratulate Mark Ruskell on getting his bill this far. However, I am here to speak on behalf of the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee and to set out t...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind)
Ind
::The member makes the point that, without data, we do not know what the situation is for an unregulated track. Would the assumption not be that it will be w...
Finlay Carson
Con
::Throughout our evidence sessions on the bill and the petition, we heard no evidence of dog injuries or reports to the Scottish SPCA to suggest that there w...
Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
::Does the member agree that, given that there is evidence of cruelty, animal fatalities and injuries on licensed tracks, it would therefore follow that ther...
Finlay Carson
Con
::We are dealing with tracks in Scotland and with banning track greyhound racing in Scotland, and we have to be careful about using the term “cruelty”. The i...
The Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity (Jim Fairlie)
SNP
::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 ...
Finlay Carson
Con
::I am confused that the minister’s position changed when it was quite clear that there was no type of racing of greyhounds in Scotland other than on an oval...
Jim Fairlie
SNP
::We have rehearsed this on numerous occasions and went round the same question numerous times when I give evidence to the committee. We were looking at the ...
Tim Eagle (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
::I recognise the work that Mark Ruskell MSP has put into the bill and I am genuinely grateful for the discussions that we have had on the issue in recent mo...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
::Rhoda Grant joins us remotely.16:15
Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Lab
::I, too, congratulate Mark Ruskell on taking a member’s bill to this stage. This is the fourth member’s bill that we have had in this Parliament regarding t...
Maggie Chapman (North East Scotland) (Green)
Green
::I do not think that many of us in the chamber would disagree that we need action on things such as puppy farms, illegal breeding and all the things that Rh...
Rhoda Grant
Lab
::To be fair, all that the bill does is put on pressure. There are no greyhounds being raced in Scotland at the moment, and should the bill pass, that situat...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
::Thank you. I think that Ms Harper wanted to intervene, but Ms Grant has concluded her speech.16:20
Maggie Chapman (North East Scotland) (Green)
Green
::I am proud to speak in this debate in whole-hearted and enthusiastic support of Mark Ruskell’s Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill. I pay tribute t...
Finlay Carson
Con
::Will the member take an intervention?
Maggie Chapman
Green
::Perhaps Finlay Carson, in his intervention, will explain why none of that is cruel.
Finlay Carson
Con
::We are at risk of getting into an argument about who supports animal welfare and who does not. I firmly support animal welfare and I love my dogs as much a...
Maggie Chapman
Green
::If Finlay Carson cares about animal welfare as he says he does, maybe he should care about future proofing our legislation as well. The bill may not do eve...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
::We move to the open debate.16:25
Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
SNP
::I whole-heartedly congratulate Mark Ruskell, because I know how tough it is to bring forward a member’s bill. You have to be resilient, negotiate and stay ...
Finlay Carson
Con
::Will Christine Grahame take an intervention?
Christine Grahame
SNP
::I have only two minutes.If you look at it, the bill is not about an outright ban but about a ban on oval tracks, because that is where the damage is done. ...
Davy Russell (Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse) (Lab)
Lab
::My concern is that the bill will have minimal benefits—if any—for animal welfare and that Parliament risks wasting time banning something that does not hap...
Alasdair Allan (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)
SNP
::I understand the member’s points and the strong views on the subject, but the committee looked at that. Neither the committee nor the Parliament can be exp...
Davy Russell
Lab
::Greyhounds have been selectively bred for thousands of years, since the time of the Egyptians, and losing their place culturally will accelerate the extinc...
Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
::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...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
::We move to closing speeches. I call Gillian Mackay, who joins us remotely, to close on behalf of the Scottish Greens.16:34