RSPCA: “Seriously flawed” greyhound industry once again under the spotlight
The welfare of racing greyhounds has once again been called into question by a new report, commissioned by the greyhound industry following the shocking discovery of ‘redundant’ greyhounds being killed to order in County Durham last year.
The report, published today, states that the greyhound industry’s “current structures are seriously flawed” and also highlights the “paucity of satisfactory information about the numbers and life careers of greyhounds.”
Furthermore the report said: “The public, through Parliament, has made clear its expectation that the industry establishes a situation*where the whereabouts and status of all greyhounds, preferably from ‘cradle to grave’, or certainly from birth to retirement, is known.”
This latest inquiry into the regulation of greyhound racing, chaired by Lord Donoughue, underlines the need for significant change in an industry which is worth £2.9 billion in betting each year.1
Becky Blackmore, RSPCA greyhound expert, said: “There are systemic welfare failures in the racing greyhound industry and the public are increasingly uneasy about what amounts to negligence.
“This sorry state of affairs cannot continue. Dogs are being chewed up and spat out of an industry which ultimately treats greyhounds as disposable commodities, rather than sentient animals for which it is responsible.”
Today’s report follows another damning report published in May by an independent parliamentary body (APGAW) which raised grave concerns about the true scale of unwanted dogs within the greyhound industry which are killed or go ‘missing’ each year.
While there was huge gaps in the amount of data available to researchers, the earlier report by the APGAW (Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare) showed:
· At least 4,728 racing greyhounds in England are unaccounted for each year – these are presumed to be killed by the age of three or four – when their racing days are over.2 · At least a further 2,478 pups bred for English greyhound racing each year never even make it to the track – and are also unaccounted for.
· At least 13,500 greyhounds bred for racing are considered ‘surplus’ to the industry in England and Wales each year – yet annual rehoming figures for greyhounds fall far short of this figure.
The Society believes even the shocking figures above of young dogs killed are likely to be a gross underestimate, given the large unmonitored numbers of greyhounds coming to England from breeders in Ireland, as well as the scant data recorded by the industry as a whole.
The Donoughue report also acknowledges: “The increased volume of racing in recent years and the flow of greyhounds leaving the sport means that demands for re-homing outstrip the current supply of retirement provision.”
The RSPCA believes the industry must urgently reduce its demand for new racing dogs – to stem the flood of under-par racing dogs that never make the grade; or are seen as replacements for those that could race if treated for injury, or entered in slower, ‘veteran’ races.
“We will study the report’s recommendations with interest,” said Becky Blackmore. “However, we are unconvinced that self-regulation by the industry would provide the transparency and accountability that the public require. Welfare will never be given due prominence when the top priority of any self-regulatory body is the commercial health of the industry.
“It’s high time that the highest possible standards were imposed to safeguard the welfare of the very dogs from which this industry profits so handsomely, and we look to both the English and Welsh Governments to make this happen without delay.”
The RSPCA is urgently calling on the devolved governments to provide and enforce strict guidelines as an add on to the new Animal Welfare Act, which covers England and Wales, and the Animal Health and Welfare Act in Scotland.3
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