SCOTS-BASED trainers racing greyhounds in England are transporting dogs “illegally” and councils are failing to ensure they comply with animal welfare regulations, it has been claimed.
An investigation by animal welfare activists has found trainers are driving caged greyhounds, without the correct licences, on round trips of up to 10 hours to places as far afield as Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands.
Critics argue that dogs are often seen as disposable commodities, moved around the country in cages for racing, and then “dumped on re-homing charities” when they are no longer able to race.
Licenses for transporting animals are issued by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), a UK Government body. Local authorities are tasked with ensuring animal transport complies with the regulations.
There are 27 breeders and trainers in Scotland registered with the Greyhound Board of Great Britain. They keep their greyhounds in kennels in Scotland and race them at tracks elsewhere in the UK.
APHA says a “type 2” licence is required when a journey for a greyhound exceeds eight hours, and there should be a 48-hour break until the next journey. Most Scots trainers have a “type 1” which is required for shorter journeys of up to eight hours.
But activists said most round trips to England for racing take longer than eight hours, and trainers must take into account the time greyhounds spend at a track, to comply with the law.
They also accused local authorities of being “completely clueless about the rules” and claimed this “lack of knowledge” is “deeply concerning”, pointing out that councils are tasked with ensuring compliance for all animal transports in Scotland.
The Scottish Greens MSP Mark Ruskell – whose bill to ban greyhound racing in Scotland will be voted on next month by MSPs in the Scottish Parliament – said welfare regulations should be able to protect greyhounds from harm if they are properly enforced, adding that “in the case of transportation, they are clearly not.”
Local authorities told The Ferret they were investigating complaints. One council said resource issues mean it can only investigate cases when “we become aware of potential issues”.
The activists’ investigation follows a decision last month by the Welsh Government to prohibit greyhound racing.
The activists – who requested anonymity – conducted a four-month investigation, focusing on trainers who travel to places such as Newcastle Greyhound Stadium, and Monmore Green Stadium, Wolverhampton.
A round trip from Edinburgh to Wolverhampton would involve at least 10 hours travelling for greyhounds, as well as the time involved at the race track. The correct APHA licence would be type 2 which covers journeys over eight hours, the activists said.
But nearly all Scots trainers have a type 1 licence so unless a trainer stayed in Wolverhampton for 48 hours before returning to Scotland with their greyhound/s, they would be breaking the law, said the activists.
One Scots trainer recently posted on social media to reveal he had travelled to Monmore Green Stadium “on a 10-hour round trip” with three dogs.
The activists raised the licence issue with 11 local authorities and said they “discovered a staggering lack of knowledge” regarding animal transport law.
“Despite local authorities also having the power to advise against travel, they have allowed Scottish greyhound trainers to remain on the roads illegally over a number of months since we brought it to their attention,” one activist told The Ferret.
They added: “After much protracted discussion with APHA and the relevant local authorities, only one has now taken out a type 2 license. I appreciate that it’s not a subject which any of them seem to have come across before, however the information is freely available had they taken the time to look it up.”
APHA said in an email to an activist: “Unless an animal is delivered to a premises of destination where it is unloaded from the vehicle and accommodated for at least 48 hours, it is not deemed a new journey. A ‘new’ journey can only commence when an animal has been at a premises at least 48 hours in line with the definition of a place of departure.”
Ruskell claimed the greyhound racing industry has “shown itself time and time again to be incapable” of reform.
He added: “However there still remains the fundamental risk of racing dogs at high speed around an oval track which results in horrific injuries and death and until this is made an offence, dogs will continue to be transported to tracks to be legally raced against each as a spectacle.”
Local authorities contacted by the activists included South Lanarkshire Council which found that one greyhound owner should have had a type 2 licence. Fraser Carlin, head of planning and regulatory services at South Lanarkshire Council, said: “The owner subsequently applied to [APHA] for the licence and this was granted, with details being published in December on APHA’s website.
“We are pursuing enquiries in relation to one other greyhound owner and, as this is a live case, we cannot comment further until we have completed our investigations.”
West Lothian Council said it does not hold information on everyone who holds licences in its area, or the resources to carry out “proactive checks”. A spokesperson said it can only investigate cases when it is made aware of “potential issues”.
“There were two probes last year after concerns were raised over animal transportation. In both cases, the council was satisfied there were no issues around the health or welfare of the animals concerned,” the spokesperson said, adding that licence information was checked with both the owner and APHA.
East Ayrshire Council said it received a complaint about a greyhound owner in September 2024 and began an investigation, which is continuing.
“An early visit was undertaken and we are satisfied that there are no issues around the health and welfare of the dogs,” a spokesperson added. “As this remains a live investigation, we cannot comment further at this time”.
In Scotland, greyhounds, like all dogs, are covered by the general protections of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, but there is no specific legislation governing the use of dogs in racing in Scotland.
Thornton is, therefore, the only greyhound racing track in Great Britain not subject to regulation either by a local authority or industry body.
There are currently 21 dog racing tracks in Great Britain, 20 of which are registered and licensed by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB). At present, the only greyhound track currently operating in Scotland is Thornton Greyhounds, an independent track in Fife.
A former GBGB-regulated track at Shawfield Greyhound Stadium, South Lanarkshire, closed in March 2020, following the suspension of racing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In late April, MSPs will have their first opportunity to vote on Mark Ruskell’s member’s bill to ban greyhound racing. The bill has received cross-party support, allowing it to progress to this stage. A petition calling for a ban attracted 35,000 signatures.
In 2022, the Greyhound board launched a welfare strategy – A Good Life For Every Greyhound – to protect racing greyhounds. GBGB has paid out over £1.1m to support the veterinary treatment of registered greyhounds.
In 2023, The Ferret revealed that more than 300 racing greyhounds died in the UK and 4354 injuries to dogs were recorded in 2022.
In 2019, our reporting highlighted that greyhounds trained or racing in Scotland had tested positive for banned drugs such as cocaine and amphetamine dozens of times.
Steroids, beta blockers and prohormones – used by bodybuilders – were among other prohibited substances found in the bloodstreams of greyhounds at Shawfield Stadium.
