Lord Lispey, the Chairman of Premier Greyhound Racing, is to address the Welsh Parliament next week amid a growing threat to ban greyhound racing in that country. The former chariman of the British Greyhound Racing Board, who has a home in Wales, explains his reasons for the address:
“On 13th June, I am off to Cardiff to give evidence to the Welsh Senedd’s hearings on greyhound racing. These were precipitated by a petition signed by more than 20,000 people calling for the Welsh government to ban greyhound racing altogether. Malcolm Tams, who has run the Valley stadium near Merthyr t for many years, will be giving evidence with me. So will the GBGB’s chief executive Mark Bird.
“It would be easy to shrug off this threat. Valley is the only greyhound venue in Wales – and it is a “flapping” track though a tidy one. If a ban came about in Wales therefore it would not affect any English tracks. As someone who lives in Wales I should have a two-hour journey to the nearest tracks – Monmore and Swindon – which would be a waste of expensive petrol! More important a small but loyal staff, at the track and amongst those who support it, would lose their jobs; and the economy there would suffer a blow.
“As a British parliamentarian, I can say with confidence that there is very little threat of the ban being extended to England. A recent debate in the House of Commons illustrated the point. After an unpersuasive speech by the mover, Christina Rees , the MP for Neath, every MP who spoke made the case for greyhound racing. This was subject, again in every case, to the proviso that the sport must do more on welfare. Both the Conservative minister and the Labour shadow minister made it clear that they too were against the ban.
“Since then the GBGB has published its superbly researched blueprint for welfare’s future. The animal welfare minister Lord Goldsmith, who is a huge advocate for his brief, endorsed it with a ringing cry against a ban. In parliament, hardly a handful of members are banners. Apart from anything else, memories remain fresh of the bungled legislation to ban fox hunting because of pressure from the anti-blood sports lobbyists.
“In any case, recent improvements in greyhound welfare speak for themselves. When I first got involved in 200, around 15% of greyhounds were rehomed on retirement. Today the figures has reached 94% thanks to the efforts of the rehoming charities and the GBGB. Meanwhile the mortality rate is 0.06% – hardly a killing field.
“Yet complacency would be unwise. The RSPCA and the Dogs Trust have hired consultants to produce an “independent” (about as independent as a Catholic on the existence of God if you ask me) on greyhound racing. And in other countries the anti lobby has been intermittently successful, The American campaign which has banned the sport in several states is now active – and formidably well funded – here too. An Australian state recently banned the sport after a trainer was discovered using life bait.
“I love horseracing too, but there the animals do have a human on top, waving a whip to make them go. Greyhounds do it for sheer love of the chase. And yet on retirement they make the most laid-back pets, bringing love to their owners. I know. I have had two.
” So greyhound racing fans should not panic. Nor should they lay into the antis with the kind of overblown language that those antis are prone to. Our answer to the banners – in Wales, in Great Britain, is more progress on welfare and a willingness to make our case – which is what I, Mark and Malcolm will be doing in Cardiff.”
Lord Lipsey
