GBGB Chief Executive Mark Bird was delighted that Wednesday’s Select Committee discussion into animal welfare justified the hard yards that he and his staff have put into engaging Government in the last year writes Floyd Amphlett.

But he warned that committee chairman Neil Parish’s ringing endorsement of GBGB’s welfare record can only be delivered if Government delivers guaranteed long term funding for the greyhound industry.

He said: “I briefed (DEFRA) minister David Rutley last week and had been pre-warned that he was very strong on detail. The meeting went well and I have to say, I don’t think I have met a minister who has previously done as much homework on the industry’s issues.”

Much of the Westminster discussion fell on the recent confirmation that the major bookmakers had committed to paying 0.6% on their greyhound internet turnover into the BGRF, though Bird warns of the dangers of seeing the extra cash as a welfare silver bullet.

He said: “There was a reference made in the Select Committee meeting to an extra three million pounds pushing the total fund income, with the £7.2m previously announced up to £10m. That is very misleading.

“In the first instance, the £3m extra is purely an assessment of what it could be; while we can expect the income from the betting shops to continue to fall. Nobody knows how much that will be down this year though we should have more idea by the end of March.

“We also don’t know what will happen due to the ‘FOBT’ effect when jackpots are slashed from April. How many shops will close, and how quickly? Presumably some will stay open until their leases expire. Will there be more betting on greyhound or less, we simply don’t know.

“One assessment is that the net gain to the Fund will turn out to be around £800,000 (taking the fund to around £8m), though again that is purely speculation. But even being optimistic, it won’t get anywhere near to covering our welfare commitments for the next five years.

“We will soon have the burden of the new kennel standards with more money having to be put aside for air control systems in vehicles.”

Can there ever be enough money for greyhound welfare?

Bird said: “I was once asked by someone at the RSPCA what we would do if money was no object. It took me by surprise because I had never really thought it through in those terms.

“Off the top of my head, I said, ‘two regional veterinary centres with fully equipped orthopedic units with additional facilities for dentistry and neutering’ with the funding to home every ex-racer.

“Whether that level of funding can ever be achieved is anybody’s guess.”

The other ‘star player’ on Wednesday was Select Committee chairman Neil Parish MP, who was extremely vocal that greyhound racing’s income should rise to at least 1% of bookmaker income.”

Parish is well educated on greyhound racing having sat on the committee which drew up the proposals for producing injury and euthanasia figures.

(Interestingly, horse racing produced its trackside euthanasia figures last week. They showed a euthanasia rate of 0.22%, nearly four times higher than greyhound racing at 0.06%.)

Bird said: “Neil Parish has been persuaded by greyhound racing’s welfare ambitions but realises the only way to deliver it is by increased funding.”

Famously, after publishing his report, Parish wrote to former DCMS minister Tracey Crouch urging her to push for a greyhound levy. He apparently never received a satisfactory response.

Crouch’s successor in the job is Mims Davies MP . . . with whom Bird will be having discussions later this month.