Protect raced greyhounds from exports by introducing spay/neuter laws
The Parliament petitions site records 11,630 signatures for this petition. The Government responded on 9 June 2026.
The petition
Created by Margaret Rita Jones. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Protect raced greyhounds from exports by introducing spay/neuter laws
Make it law to spay and neuter all raced greyhounds once they finish racing on licensed race tracks to protect them from being shipped around the world to breeding/racing kennels.
There is strong evidence that raced greyhounds can be sold in the guise of pets to countries where there are little to no welfare laws. British raced greyhounds are found in China at breeding/racing kennels. Some rescued and returned to Britain have been found to be emaciated and bred from up until very old age, over 11yrs old. Many are confined to cages for their whole lives.
I am concerned that the public are led to believe that almost all greyhounds are safely retired into loving homes. Shipping data exists showing the ongoing shipment of greyhounds to breeding facilities in Pakistan where we are concerned that there are outdated welfare laws.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 9 June 2026; the petitions site lists the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as responsible. Its summary:
The government’s animal welfare priorities to 2030 are set in the Animal Welfare Strategy published in December 2025. Defra is not currently considering changes to the neutering or spaying of dogs.
The opening 396 words of the 455-word response:
Defra provides advice to dog owners in the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs, which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ac78152ed915d76a04b2da6/pb13333-cop-dogs-091204.pdf.
The code recommends that owners of dogs that do not intend to breed their dog can consult their vet to discuss the benefits of neutering.
More specifically, the main regulatory body for greyhound racing in Great Britain (the Greyhound Board of Great Britain - GBGB) has a homing policy that requires that where a greyhound is being placed in the care of a homing charity or in a new pet home, the greyhound should be neutered or spayed prior to being transferred to its retirement destination. Furthermore, where a greyhound leaves racing for breeding, GBGB requires the full details of the new kennel/breeding establishment. As with all retirement placements, GBGB requires trainers or owners to carry out due diligence on the breeder and must be confident that they will provide suitable welfare standards. GBGB also works with Greyhound Racing Ireland and the Irish Coursing Club to monitor GBGB-registered greyhounds that travel to Ireland for breeding.
The government does not believe it necessary to legislate to require dogs to be neutered or spayed in general, or for all racing greyhounds to be neutered or spayed once they leave racing. There would be several potentially complex welfare issues to consider, such as the impact on the British breeding of greyhounds as well as any effect on inbreeding in greyhounds. The Government’s priorities for animal welfare till 2030 have been set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy published in December 2025. Defra currently has no plans to consider changes to the neutering and spaying of greyhounds or of dogs more generally.
Defra also has very few records of applications for export health certificates to export greyhounds directly to Pakistan or China. Although we are unable to account for any movements of greyhounds abroad that may have transited through a third country first, or have not involved a certificate, there is no reason to suspect that there is significant demand for former racing greyhounds from Great Britain in Pakistan or China
If further intelligence or evidence emerges that this is a widespread issue, and if there is suspicion that offences related to facilitating this trade are being committed in this country, we would engage immediately with enforcement partners and ensure that appropriate and robust investigations are carried out.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions.json?state=with_response&page=4UK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
f21f2cefef59f6ea… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
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