Scotland's MSP vote today on ending greyhound racing. Green MSP Mark Ruskell has brought forward legislation that if passed would make it an offence to operate a racing track for greyhounds and for a dog owner to race their animal on one. Here, in a column first published in 2024, Herald columnist Mark Smith welcomes the ban - and calls for horse racing to be next.

The writing is on the wall for greyhound racing according to an MSP who’s introduced a bill to ban the sport and maybe he’s right although I have my doubts. Even if the new bill makes it, much of the legislation that comes out of the Scottish Parliament is – how can I put this nicely? – patchy. A ban on greyhound racing is also missing the bigger picture on animal welfare in Scotland. Horses? Birds? Pigs? Hello?

What’s not in doubt is that the MSP who’s introducing the bill, Mark Ruskell of the Greens, is well-meaning: his law would make it an offence to permit greyhounds to compete in races at tracks in Scotland and I see his point. The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission did a good report on greyhound racing which showed that among registered dogs in Britain between 2018 and 2021, there were 2,412 deaths and 17,930 recorded injuries. The figures at the Shawfield ground in Rutherglen from 2017-2020 were 15 deaths and 197 injuries.

We also know greyhound racing is inherently risky for the dogs. The design of the buildings and the curved tracks mean they always run anti-clockwise and so experience greater force on their left sides, leading to injuries. The centrifugal force also tends to pull the animals to the outside, increasing the risk of collision with the fence. And the fact that the dogs slow down as they enter the bends makes collision more likely too. It’s all built into the race and it means dogs get hurt and dogs die.

But........

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