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Mark Ruskell said the bill would ensure that greyhounds are no longer being damaged and then discarded
The Scottish government has given its backing to a ban on greyhound racing in Scotland.
Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell has already received cross party support for his member’s bill.
The Scottish government previously said it was not “convinced” a ban was required but would consider a licensing scheme, with owners and trainers penalised if they breached animal welfare standards.
However, in a letter to Ruskell, Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said the government supported the general principles of his bill.
Ruskell said: “I am delighted that the government is backing my bill.
“This is a big step towards ensuring that we protect our greyhounds and halt this cruel gambling-led sport for good.”
In April the Welsh Government announced that it would ban the sport as soon as practically possible, while New Zealand is making similar moves.
“With Wales and New Zealand taking action, we can’t let Scotland fall behind the pack,” Ruskell said.
“If we are a nation of dog lovers then we need to back that up with words and deeds, and deliver real protections.”
He said his own dog Bert was an ex-racing greyhound.
He rescued him at about two years old after he had been discarded with a broken leg that had never been treated properly.
“He’s now 13 years old and a completely different dog who has brought such love into our family, but he should never have been put through the trauma caused by racing to begin with,” he said.
“There are dogs like Bert all over Scotland and my bill will ensure that they are no longer being damaged and then discarded.
“There is no safe way to force dogs to run around a curved track at 40mph, and I look forward to working with the Scottish government and MSPs from all parties to end it.”
Sage
Scotland Against Greyhound Exploitation campaigners are backing the ban proposed by Green MSP Mark Rusekll, centre
The Unbound the Greyhound coalition – consisting of nine animal welfare groups – welcomed the Scottish government’s support.
Eve Massie Bishop, from OneKind speaking on behalf of the coalition, said: “A nation that considers itself a leader in animal welfare must do better than to permit an industry that has cost the lives of 3,957 dogs since 2017.
“This isn’t ‘entertainment’, it’s cruelty.
“And Scots have spoken: cruelty has no place in our national identity.”
A spokesperson for the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, the regulator for licensed racing, said: “There is currently no licensed greyhound racing in Scotland.
“The people of Scotland will be totally bemused that the SNP government and Green Party are looking to waste parliamentary time in the run up to the election banning something that doesn’t take place here when there are so many issues that deserve and require legislation.”
In recent years just one greyhound track in Scotland, Thornton Stadium in Kirkcaldy, has been staging races but it closed until further notice in March.
According to the RSPCA, there are only nine countries in the world that still allow commercial greyhound racing, including all four UK nations.