Senedd committee says haste has "compromised" ban plan
A REPORT by the Senedd Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations committee has highlighted multiple shortcomings in the process through which the Welsh Government intends to introduce a ban on greyhound racing.
Responding to the committee's unprecedented criticism of the process behind the legislation, Mark Bird, CEO of the GBGB, said: "The Culture Committee have criticised every element of this Bill and how this process is being run.
"It is clear that they believe this Bill is at risk of being ill-judged and ill-considered legislation if it passed.
"They are as bemused and shocked as everyone else is by the political shenanigans that led to a dodgy backroom deal becoming a dodgy Bill. We urge the Welsh government to see sense and drop this Bill in favour of regulation."
The committee heard evidence from those for and against the proposed Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Wales) Bill and, in her foreword to the report, committee chair Delyth Jewell MS said: "Our scrutiny has taken place within a shorter timeframe than usual, which was a result of the Welsh Government’s decision to prioritise this Bill within a busy legislative timetable as part of a political agreement.
"This decision has undoubtedly made our task as a Committee challenging. We have had to grapple with incomplete and fiercely contested evidence from both sides of the debate, without the time we would have preferred to examine it.
"This experience has underlined the importance of strong, well-developed policy foundations before legislation is introduced."
The report ultimately concludes: "On this occasion, the Committee concluded that it was unable to reach an informed view on the Bill because the evidence base was so highly contested and insufficiently robust.
"Whilst strong arguments were made in support of the Bill on animal welfare grounds, significant questions remain about:
the adequacy and reliability of the data;
the adequacy of the Welsh Government’s 2023 consultation;
the potential unintended consequences of a ban;
the effectiveness of the Bill in improving welfare across a racing greyhound’s life;
the economic impact on the local community and those involved in the industry.
"The Committee notes that the Bill was prioritised within the legislative timetable as part of the Welsh Government’s 2025-26 Final Budget Agreement.
"Whilst we acknowledge the political context for bringing forward the legislation, in our view, the accelerated process has compromised the quality of legislative development and left important questions unresolved."
It was also noted that the decision to proceed with the Bill preceded publication of the Welsh Government’s response to the consultation on the Licensing of Animal Welfare Establishments, Activities and Exhibits in June 2025, and no further White Paper or consultation followed.
Valley is the only greyhound stadium currently operating in Wales and promoter Katie Bennison, a GBGB director, welcomed the report's conclusions which “clearly show the whole process has not been evidence-led and does nothing for animal welfare. What we have instead is political fixing compromising legislative process!”
The publication of the report has been widely discussed in Welsh media including on the BBC Wales website.
ByMark Palmer, Wales politics assistant editor and Adrian Browne, Wales political reporter
Last week, a GBGB-led request for a judicial review of the decision to ban greyhound racing was granted by the Welsh High Court and is set to proceed to a full substantive hearing.
Jonathan Kay
