North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has today highlighted evidence which shows that domestic pet dogs are just as likely to be injured on UK roads and in dog-on-dog attacks, as greyhound dogs on the track.
Responding to today’s Statement by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs: ‘The Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Wales) Bill’, Mr. Isherwood also pointed out that in 2023, 98.93 per cent of dogs racing at stadiums regulated by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain were not injured.
He said:
“The ‘Cut The Chase’ Campaign e-mail supporting an end to Greyhound racing in Wales states that the industry's own figures evidence the risks, with 359 dogs involved in racing at stadiums regulated by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, GBGB, dying in 2023, and more than 4,000 injured over the same period. However, the same figures show that 99.97 per cent did not die and 98.93 per cent were not injured, that the track injury rate fell to 1.07 per cent in 2024, the lowest ever, and that the fatality rate halved to 0.03 per cent between 2020 and 2024.
“So, if you believe in evidence-led policy rather than policy-led evidence, what consideration have you therefore given to these facts, or to the statistical reality, for example, that domestic pet dogs are just as likely to be injured on UK roads and in dog-on-dog attacks, and, for example, that the domestic pet dog fatality rate from dog-on-dog attacks, at 0.47 per cent, is much higher than the 0.03 per cent fatality rate on the tracks? Presumably, you're not proposing to ban domestic pet dogs!”
Mr Isherwood also questioned the Cabinet Secretary over the claim for judicial review issued by GBGB in Wales in May, stating “I appreciate you can't share Welsh Government's legal advice or position on this, but can you advise whether that claim has been accepted, and whether the action is going ahead?”
Responding, the Cabinet Secretary said it is “a matter for the Courts to determine, and we await their determination on whether it will proceed or not”.
Further, putting the case forward for a ban, he said “the statistics simply do not lie”.
Speaking outside the Chamber, Mr Isherwood said:
“Once again, selective information rather than evidence-based fact is driving Welsh Government decision making. To put this in context, an estimated 80,000 dogs are hit by a car on UK roads every year, an estimated 64,000 dogs are killed and a further 44,000 severely injured from dog on dog attacks in the UK every year, and Police recorded dog attacks on people in Wales and England rose to 32,568 last year, so are we going to ban domestic pet dogs too?!”