Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of (a) the current state of and (b) regulation governing greyhound racing in the UK.

The main regulations covering the welfare of racing greyhounds, the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010, along with their enforcement by the main industry regulatory body the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), were most recently reviewed in 2016. The review was undertaken by Defra with input from the House of Commons’ Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee (EFRA). The review found the 2010 Regulations had been effective, when assessed against their original objectives, in improving welfare standards at greyhound racing tracks in England and improving the traceability of greyhounds during their racing careers. GBGB is accredited by the UK Accreditation Service in relation to its greyhound racing track licensing and inspection processes.