Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell has officially lodged his bill to ban greyhound racing in Scotland.
The bill has received crossparty support allowing it to progress to this stage, but it is yet to secure the support of the Scottish Government.
In April the Welsh Government announced that it would ban the cruel gambling-led entertainment “as soon as practically possible.”
According to the RSPCA, there are only 9 countries in the world that still allow commercial greyhound racing, including all 4 UK nations.
Data from 2023 showed that 109 greyhounds died trackside in the UK, an increase on the number for 2022. There were 4,238 injuries to greyhounds during racing in 2023.
Mr Ruskell said:
“This is a milestone moment for my bill and I am grateful to all of the MSPs and campaigners who have helped us to get to this stage.
“Greyhound racing is a cruel sport that causes a huge amount of harm to dogs. Far too many have been killed or badly injured on the tracks.
“There is no safe or humane way to force a group of dogs to run around an oval track at 40 mph and it is totally wrong to make them do it in the name of profit.
“With Wales taking action, Scotland is looking increasingly isolated in allowing this gambling-led spectacle to continue.
“I hope that the Scottish Government and MSPs from all parties will support me and that we can get my bill over the line and end greyhound racing for good.”
