Ban greyhound racing to end unnecessary deaths & suffering of racing dogs
104,885 people signed this petition to the UK Parliament after it opened on 30 October 2020; it closed on 30 April 2021. The Government responded on 26 November 2020. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 28 March 2022.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Ban greyhound racing to end unnecessary deaths & suffering of racing dogs
The Government must introduce legislation to abolish greyhound racing, via managed shutdown of activities, and ensure welfare of redundant dogs through a levy on the industry. In 2019 Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) data confirmed 4970 injuries & 710 deaths (14 per week).
Thousands of greyhounds are forced to race for worldwide betting markets. We believe that the welfare of racing greyhounds is not adequately protected by Animal Welfare Act 2006, GBGB, or any independent body, and that greyhounds endure unavoidable suffering on tracks that can be dangerously configured, race in extreme weather & can be housed in kennels that have not been independently inspected to gain UKAS accreditation, despite commitments to DEFRA.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 26 November 2020; the petitions site lists the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as responsible. Its summary:
Defra supports high welfare for racing greyhounds, considers that welfare concerns are being addressed in many ways, and believes a ban is unnecessary.
The opening 312 words of the 789-word response:
The Government is aware of the genuine concerns that exist about greyhound racing. We are a world leader when it comes to animal welfare, and the Government expects high welfare standards to apply to racing greyhounds. Welfare concerns are being addressed, with the support of the Government. We do not, therefore, consider a ban to be justified.
The welfare of racing greyhounds in England is covered by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) and the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 (the 2010 Regulations).
The 2006 Act allows action to be taken where there is evidence of cruelty to an animal or a failure to provide for an animal’s welfare needs. These provisions apply where greyhounds are at tracks or kept at trainers’ kennels. Further to these general provisions, welfare standards at all English greyhound tracks are set by the 2010 Regulations.
The 2010 Regulations require that all greyhound tracks have a vet present while dogs are running, and that the vet inspects all greyhounds to ensure that they are fit to run, including in extreme weather. Temperature-controlled kennelling must also be provided at the track, and all racing greyhounds must be microchipped and tattooed.
A Government review of the 2010 Regulations in 2016 concluded that the regulations had proved effective in improving the welfare of greyhounds at the track, and traceability. However, the review also found that the industry needed to do more to improve conditions at trainers’ kennels as well as be more transparent.
In response, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) agreed to publish annual independently verified injury, euthanasia and retirement statistics from GBGB tracks. GBGB also agreed to extend their United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) accreditation. In addition to allowing them to enforce the standards in the 2010 Regulations at GBGB tracks, this extension would ensure independent welfare standards are enforced at GBGB trainers’ kennels.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 316, came from Isle of Wight.
103,415 of the signatures were from the UK and 1,470 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Isle of Wight | 316 |
| Central Devon | 314 |
| Brighton, Kemptown | 311 |
| Brighton, Pavilion | 308 |
| Torridge and West Devon | 296 |
| Tiverton and Honiton | 294 |
| Hastings and Rye | 293 |
| Camborne and Redruth | 282 |
| Edinburgh North and Leith | 282 |
| Somerton and Frome | 280 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| South East | 15,388 |
| South West | 11,883 |
| North West | 10,738 |
| East of England | 10,493 |
| Scotland | 8,923 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 8,257 |
| London | 8,231 |
| West Midlands | 8,097 |
| East Midlands | 7,379 |
| Wales | 6,203 |
| North East | 4,196 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,560 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 28 March 2022. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/554073.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
5c7fe81f221dc587… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.