Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural affairs, what steps he is taking to improve welfare standards in greyhound racing.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government takes the welfare of all racing animals very seriously. We are working closely with the main racing greyhound industry regulatory body, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) to ensure it delivers on the commitments it made to the Government, following the Government’s Post Implementation Review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010. This includes the annual publication of injury and retirement data to improve transparency in the sport. The second set of annual figures were published on 12 June 2019.
The annual publication of the injury and retirement data was accompanied by an update on the progress made by the GBGB against their ‘Greyhound Commitment’. The Commitment sets out an eight point manifesto on how the GBGB is aiming to improve the welfare of racing greyhounds, and includes a commitment to ensure more greyhounds are successfully rehomed at the end of their racing lives. The GBGB have also delivered an independent welfare standard for trainers’ kennels and are also developing a UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) accredited trainers’ licensing scheme for GBGB trainers. The Government is also considering whether further regulatory changes are required to protect the welfare of racing greyhounds used by professional trainers not running greyhounds on GBGB tracks.
To help ensure more funding for greyhound welfare, on 10 January 2019, the Government announced a new funding commitment from bookmakers worth an estimated additional £3 million this year to ensure the welfare of greyhounds is protected and improved. We expect thousands of racing greyhounds are to be better cared for as a result of this new deal. The commitment is set to increase the total amount of funding from bookmakers to the British Greyhound Racing Fund to an estimated £10 million this year.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of reports that UK-born and trained greyhounds are being kept in poor conditions for breeding in China; whether his Department has plans to prevent the future export of greyhounds from the UK to China; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government takes the welfare of all racing animals very seriously, including once their racing careers have ended.
The Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA), which grants certification for the commercial exports of dogs and records information regarding the commercial movement of animals, has confirmed that they do not have any records of greyhounds being exported to China for commercial purposes during 2017 or 2018.
The Greyhound Board of Great Britain have made clear that they do not support the export of greyhounds to countries where welfare standards cannot be verified. They keep records of all dogs running and once a dog is retired the owner or trainer is required to state where the dog will be relocated to.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure sufficient income in greyhound racing to safeguard the welfare of greyhounds throughout their career and into retirement.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
On 10 January 2019, the Government announced a new funding commitment from bookmakers worth an estimated £3 million to ensure the welfare of greyhounds is protected and improved. The agreement was reached following discussions chaired by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) and is set to increase the total amount of funding from bookmakers to the British Greyhound Racing Fund (BGRF) to an estimated £10 million this year. We expect thousands of racing greyhounds are to be better cared for as a result of this new commitment.
Defra and DCMS will continue to work with the bookmaking industry to encourage all remaining bookmakers who take bets on greyhound racing, and who do not currently contribute, to commence payments to the BGRF to support the sport. The Ministers for Animal Welfare and Sport will soon be meeting to discuss what more can be done to secure the funding needed to ensure greyhound welfare.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Greyhound welfare boosted through multi-million pound deal with gambling industry, published in January 2019, whether (a) a full audit of the requirements needed has been made in relation to capital costs for repairs to trainers' kennels and tracks and (b) all revenue expenses have been calculated to ensure that no greyhound suffers (i) on the track and (ii) through lack of a good home.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 10th January 2019, Government announced a new funding commitment from bookmakers worth an estimated £3m this year to ensure the welfare of greyhounds is protected and improved. We expect thousands of racing greyhounds are to be better cared for as a result of this new deal. The commitment is set to increase the total amount of funding from bookmakers to the British Greyhound Racing Fund to an estimated £10m this year.
The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), responsible for the governance, regulation and management of the sport of licensed greyhound racing in England, Scotland and Wales, has committed to improve licensing and inspection standards on and off track. I look forward to meeting with them and the Greyhound Forum in the coming weeks to discuss this work further. A full audit of trainers’ residential kennels is underway to prioritise upgrades and GBGB has allocated £400,000 specifically for kennel upgrades in 2019. A further £160,000 has been allocated to support tracks which do not currently have air-conditioning in their kennel areas.
This commitment will further support greyhounds both before and after racing by helping to fund the GBGBs Injury Recovery Scheme and providing £1.4m to the The Greyhound Trust to help find homes for retired greyhounds, ensuring where possible they go on to enjoy a full and active life in retirement.
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Department has made an assessment of adequacy of the injury and retirement data published by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The format of the injury and retirement data published by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) for the first time in March this year was requested and approved by Defra. Alongside publication of the data, which has been independently verified, the GBGB also made several commitments to improve the figures, which the Government has welcomed. Defra will continue to monitor the data, and the progress of GBGB’s commitments.
Asked by: Anna Turley (Labour (Co-op) - Redcar)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Greyhound Board of Great Britain on that organisation’s injury and retirement data, published on 14 March 2018.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) began publishing injury and retirement data from GBGB affiliated tracks earlier this year as part of several non-regulatory agreements they have with Defra arising from Defra’s Post Implementation Review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010. Officials have regular discussions with the GBGB on this, and are satisfied with the progress being made. Officials also meet regularly with the Chair of the Greyhound Forum, which represents a series of welfare groups with an interest in the welfare of racing and retired greyhounds.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by what criteria requests for access to anonymised track injury and euthanasia data for research purposes will be assessed.
Answered by George Eustice
As set out during Defra’s Post Implementation Review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010, the Government expects the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) to begin publishing from early next year annual aggregate injury and euthanasia statistics from GBGB tracks, and annual summary statistics for the number of GBGB registered greyhounds that leave the sport. The figures will cover the preceding calendar year and, for dogs that leave the sport each year, the details will include by what method. The GBGB will begin publishing both sets of figures by the end of March 2018. Access to anonymized track injury and euthanasia data will be considered by GBGB’s Welfare Standing Committee and Defra for bona fide research purposes.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) by what date he expects the Greyhound Board of Great Britain to begin publishing summary statistics for the number of dogs that leave the industry each year and (b) what details those statistics will include.
Answered by George Eustice
As set out during Defra’s Post Implementation Review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010, the Government expects the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) to begin publishing from early next year annual aggregate injury and euthanasia statistics from GBGB tracks, and annual summary statistics for the number of GBGB registered greyhounds that leave the sport. The figures will cover the preceding calendar year and, for dogs that leave the sport each year, the details will include by what method. The GBGB will begin publishing both sets of figures by the end of March 2018. Access to anonymized track injury and euthanasia data will be considered by GBGB’s Welfare Standing Committee and Defra for bona fide research purposes.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (a) by what date he expects the Greyhound Board of Great Britain to begin publishing aggregate injury and euthanasia figures and (b) what period that data will cover.
Answered by George Eustice
As set out during Defra’s Post Implementation Review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010, the Government expects the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) to begin publishing from early next year annual aggregate injury and euthanasia statistics from GBGB tracks, and annual summary statistics for the number of GBGB registered greyhounds that leave the sport. The figures will cover the preceding calendar year and, for dogs that leave the sport each year, the details will include by what method. The GBGB will begin publishing both sets of figures by the end of March 2018. Access to anonymized track injury and euthanasia data will be considered by GBGB’s Welfare Standing Committee and Defra for bona fide research purposes.
Asked by: Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects the Greyhound Board of Great Britain to fulfil its agreement to develop a Publicly Available Specification for trainers’ kennels and to extend its UK Accreditation Service to include the enforcement of those new standards.
Answered by George Eustice
A Publicly Available Specification (PAS) for greyhound trainers’ residential kennels was published by the British Standards Institution on 12 December 2017. The PAS has been sponsored by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) and has been drafted with input from animal welfare groups, veterinarians, the industry and Defra. GBGB are currently beginning the process of extending their current UK Accreditation Service accreditation to include enforcement of the standards contained in the PAS. This process can take between 12 to 18 months.