The gap between the number of greyhounds registered on GBGB tracks and the number of litters being bred continues to grow.
The GBGB registered 7,252 greyhounds in 2019, a drop of around 2%.
Figures from the Irish Coursing Club show a decline of just 20 litters in 2019 compared to the previous year (2,344/2,324), though it remains the lowest on record.
But British litters have dipped more drastically, from 219 to 163, for a total of 1,054 greyhounds (6.5 pups per litter). That represents an overall decline of around 3%.
That in itself might not seem to be an issue, except for the fact that this is a compounding problem over many years that needs to be judged in context of races.
Over a 10 year period, breeding is down 28%, registrations are down 15%, but the number of races has only declined by 3%.
