Protesters outside Towcester Racecourse call for a ban on greyhound racing

Animal welfare campaigners protested outside the Greyhound Derby at Towcester Racecourse tonight and called for a ban on greyhound racing in England because of the hazardous nature of the ‘sport’.

The campaigners led by Shut Down Campaigns and supported by animal welfare charity the League Against Cruel Sports, highlighted the deaths, injuries and suffering associated with the greyhound racing industry.

Emily Lawrence, campaigns manager at the League Against Cruel Sports, said: “We are calling on the government to act urgently and end the misery and suffering faced by racing greyhounds and to ban this so-called sport in England.

“It’s time for change – dogs are dying or being seriously injured at tracks up and down the country while gambling companies profit from the cruelty of the greyhound industry.”

Norb Gordon, the founder of Shut Down Campaigns, said: “'Greyhounds, like any dogs, deserve comfy sofas and loving homes. Instead, the racing industry confines them to kennels, forces them to race on dangerous tracks, and discards them when they are no longer fast enough.

“It is unsurprising that tracks are closing one-by-one as locals continue to campaign against this cruelty on their doorstep.”

Figures released annually by the industry’s governing body the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) show that in England and Wales, 1,357 greyhounds have died at the trackside from racing between 2017 and 2024, and 35,168 have sustained injuries.

A further 3,278 greyhounds were destroyed citing other reasons such as veterinary treatment costs or because they were labelled as poor candidates for adoption.

Two landmark bills banning greyhound racing in both Wales and Scotland were passed by the Welsh and Scottish parliaments earlier this year.

Greyhound racing is also being phased out in New Zealand this year and is now illegal in 42 states in the USA.

A report conducted by Professor Andrew Knight, a veterinary professor of animal welfare, and commissioned by the campaign group Greyt Exploitations, was very critical of animal welfare standards in greyhound racing – it established racing greyhounds around oval tracks is inherently dangerous, putting huge strain on the dogs’ bodies.

The greyhound racing industry problems also include overbreeding, a poor quality of life for greyhounds kept in kennels for up to 95 per cent of the time, and the challenges in finding homes for the dogs once they retire.

Emily added: “From cradle to grave greyhounds face a perilous existence so it’s time for our government, which pledged to deliver the most ambitious animal welfare reforms in a generation, to follow the progress being made around the world and end greyhound racing here.”

Ends

Notes to editors

For information or interview requests, please contact the League Against Cruel Sports Press Office on 01483 524250 or email pressoffice@league.org.uk

The League Against Cruel Sports is Britain's leading charity that works to stop animals being persecuted, abused and killed for sport. The League was instrumental in helping bring about the landmark Hunting Act 2004, the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021, the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 and bans on the use of snares brought about by the Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023, and Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024.

We carry out investigations to expose law-breaking and cruelty to animals and campaign for stronger animal protection laws and penalties. We work to change attitudes and behaviour through education and manage wildlife reserves. Find out more about our work at www.league.org.uk. Registered charity in England and Wales (no.1095234) and Scotland (no.SC045533).