Forever Hounds Trust is extremely disappointed and saddened that the UK government has not used legislation to improve the welfare of greyhounds used by the racing industry.
In the Post Implementation Review of The Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 document, published this week, Defra have considered only minimal changes, and even these are unlikely to come into effect for another two years.
Defra have failed to implement most of the recommendations of the EFRA committee report, which was published in June and did at least recommend that the self-regulation of the greyhound racing industry was only given a two year probationary period.
This lack of action comes despite the government stating that: “The (greyhound) industry could and should have done more since the introduction of the 2010 Regulations to demonstrate its commitment to being an open and transparent self-regulator of the sport.”
Emily Burns-Sweeney, Director of Welfare for Forever Hounds Trust, says: “This is incredibly disappointing and will do nothing to ensure the welfare of greyhounds while they are in the racing industry. Defra have ignored the expert advice of welfare charities who see first-hand the condition some racing dogs are in and have even failed to take into account the recommendations of the EFRA committee report into this.
“Unfortunately that means the battle for greyhound welfare in the UK goes on. We must now work together to gather evidence and prove that the current regulations are not working and more must be done to ensure high standards of welfare for every greyhound in the racing industry.”
Find the full Defra document here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/553016/greyhound-racing-post-implementation-review.pdf
Great Barking Bake Off – Buscot’s own Mary Berry and top dog Snuff to judge baking competition!