GBGB strengthens welfare with full reviews of serious incidents
THE GBGB has announced it will launch its own 'Track Fatality Review Process' in a further step to support greyhound welfare across British licensed greyhound racing.
Coming into force from 1st June 2026, the process will mean an additional layer of oversight, reporting and review in every serious incident involving a GBGB-registered racing greyhound which leads to a fatality.
Similar to what is used by British horseracing, this process will ensure that GBGB is immediately aware of any potential contributing factors related to the incident and able to make rapid recommendations to further improve safety.
Already, stipendiary stewards work closely with a stadium’s on-site vet and racing manager to understand the causes of any serious incidents leading to a fatality during a trials or race meeting.
Now, the regulator will go further and ensure that additional formal reporting from the area stipendiary steward and regional regulatory vet (RRV) is being carried out and considered by GBGB’s regulatory team, with oversight from the Welfare and Veterinary Standing Committee.
The purpose is to maximise the lessons that can be learnt and further improvements to build into future oversight, training, guidance and systems within the sport.
Annual statistics from GBGB of retirement destinations as well as injuries sustained on GBGB licenced tracks have already shown a dramatic improvement on a number of key headline measures over recent years.
Among the initiatives and systems in place, GBGB’s 'Share Your Life With a Greyhound' homing campaign – which has seen celebrity endorsement from the likes of former-England rugby star Joe Marler and Chris Hughes – has led to further positive trends.
Following the launch of the campaign in 2024, there has been a 25% increase in demand for the breed – with over 5,350 greyhounds placed with approved homing centres in 2025 compared with 4,238 in 2024.
The new Track Fatality Review Process has been communicated to all authorised representatives and GBGB’s field force of stipendiary stewards and RRVs will be working with tracks and licensed trainers over the coming weeks to support its implementation.
Mark Bird, GBGB chief executive, said: “Over recent years, and through our welfare strategy ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’, we have implemented a vast range of measures and factors to achieve continuous improvements in greyhound welfare across our licensed sport.
"The impact of these steps has been dramatic over the years and continues to be borne out in the annual data we publish each year.
“GBGB remains committed, nonetheless, to identifying and reducing all avoidable risks for greyhounds racing or trialling on licensed tracks and to harnessing the best data we can to shape our racing systems and processes.
"This new Fatality Review Process will apply a further forensic layer to our approach, providing additional reporting and national-level analysis capabilities from which to take learnings.
“As a Board we feel this is another important step forward and will bolster the wider welfare ecosystem in which we seek to promote and protect greyhound welfare across our sport.
"Achieving a good life for every greyhound that steps foot on a GBGB-licensed track involves the support, care and determination of every single person involved – and we are grateful to the whole sport in putting welfare at the heart of all they do in their respective roles.”
