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A bid by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) to overturn the legislation banning greyhound racing in Wales has been thrown out by the High Court.
The organisation had argued that the consultation process before the bill was introduced had been rushed and was unlawful, but two senior judges ruled on Friday that the legislation had been lawfully brought forward and that court intervention would be inappropriate.
Lord Justice Lewis and Mr Justice Chamberlain said: “Given that the bill is now validly before the Senedd, and especially in circumstances where it has completed its legislative stages, the determination of a claim alleging a procedural flaw at the pre-legislative stage would, in our judgment, be an impermissible interference with the proceedings of the Senedd and contrary to the constitutional separation of powers.”
The ruling comes just days after Senedd Members voted 39 to 10 on Tuesday to pass the ban, with two MSs abstaining. The legislation is now awaiting Royal Assent, with a ban potentially coming into force as early as April 2027 and no later than April 2030.
Wales has just one greyhound racing track, located in Ystrad Mynach, near Caerphilly.
The reaction
GBGB’s Mark Bird described the decision as one that “appears to come down to arguments of a purely academic nature”.
“This Bill process was an unmerited attack on a welfare-driven, well-regulated sport in Wales and will only destroy family-run businesses and desperately needed jobs in service of animal rights activists,” he said.
He added that the organisation was considering its options and “hope at the very least that the next government in Cardiff Bay do the right thing and repeal this flawed legislation” following May’s Senedd election.
GBGB said it was “exploring every option available to us to continue to fight this legislation, including our right to appeal”.
Animal welfare groups celebrate
The ban was backed by animal welfare organisations which said thousands of dogs across the UK have died in recent years as a result of racing. Owen Sharp, from the Dogs Trust, called it a “landmark moment” for dog welfare.
The Cut the Chase coalition – a group made up of Blue Cross, Dogs Trust, Greyhound Rescue Wales, Hope Rescue, and RSPCA Cymru – welcomed the judgment.
“Welsh government action followed tens of thousands of people signing a petition supporting the phasing out of greyhound racing,” it said.
“A clear majority of Senedd Members then voted in favour of the legislation this week, and clearly this judgment is the right result.”
