In a historic win for animal welfare, Wales has moved to ban greyhound racing following a decisive vote within the Senedd, whereas Scotland has handed laws outlawing the game altogether.

In keeping with the League Towards Merciless Sports activities, in 2024, there have been 123 greyhound fatalities recorded at licensed tracks in Nice Britain, and three,809 accidents have been reported to racing greyhounds.

Since 2017, the business has recorded lots of of deaths annually and hundreds of accidents: at the very least 1,357 trackside fatalities and greater than 35,000 accidents over that interval.

On March 17, 2026, members of the Welsh Senedd voted 39 to 10 in favor of the Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Wales) Invoice, which is able to make it unlawful to function greyhound racing venues or arrange races within the nation.

The ban is predicted to be carried out in phases between April 2027 and April 2030. Wales at the moment has just one lively observe, Valley Greyhound Stadium in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly county.

Animal welfare teams hailed the vote as a serious victory for greyhounds. Jamie Adair of the League Towards Merciless Sports activities acknowledged:

“The loss of life and damage toll of greyhound racing is kind of merely surprising, and goes past what folks see on the racetracks.”

Owen Sharp, chief of Canines Belief, known as the choice a “landmark second” for canine welfare.

Welsh Democrat Jane Dodds, a supporter of the invoice, added that it sends a transparent message:

“Foreseeable and unavoidable hurt to animals can’t be justified within the identify of sport or within the service of playing revenues.”

Regardless of some authorized challenges and criticism, supporters say the laws is a historic step towards defending greyhounds from pointless hurt.

The next day, on March 18, 2026, the Scottish Parliament voted to go the Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Invoice, successfully banning greyhound racing in Scotland. The invoice, launched by Inexperienced MSP Mark Russell, makes it unlawful for greyhounds to race on oval tracks, with penalties together with fines and as much as 5 years in jail. Throughout debate, Russell advised MSPs:

“Racing greyhounds at as much as speeds of 40pmh round an oval observe ends in catastrophic accidents and deaths. Canines break their legs, break their backs, find yourself paralysed and with severe head trauma.”

Scotland’s final remaining observe, Thornton Stadium in Kirkcaldy, Fife, closed in 2025, leaving the nation with out lively racing venues. Supporters say the laws prevents future hurt and aligns Scotland with different nations which have already outlawed the merciless sport.

In recent times, the business has sharply declined. Advocates level to damage information and the variety of greyhounds killed to spotlight the dangers confronted by racing canines. The back-to-back actions in Wales and Scotland mark a historic second for animal welfare, signaling that the UK is transferring to finish greyhound racing and defend canines from avoidable hurt, one other historic win for animal welfare.