22 January 2026
Holyrood’s Rural Affairs & Islands Committee says in its Stage 1 Report on the Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill, that it supports the general principles of the Bill, but that some members do not feel that a case has been made for a ban to greyhound racing in Scotland.
The Bill, introduced by Mark Ruskell MSP in April 2025, calls for a ban of greyhound racing on oval tracks in Scotland, effectively banning the sport north of the border (see note 1 in Background).
Noting the Scottish Government’s previous opposition to a ban because of a lack of evidence of the welfare impacts of racing on independent tracks, the Committee’s inquiry sought to establish whether any additional evidence is now available to support the case for a ban.
In the report, after setting out that some members do not feel a case has been made (see note 2 in Background), the Committee asks the Scottish Government for further information about the evidence base under-pinning its support for the Bill, which the Minister now says he believes is a ‘proportionate response’.
Concerns were also raised during evidence that the Bill would not prevent greyhounds kennelled in Scotland from being raced in other parts of the UK. On this point, the Committee questions why greyhounds kennelled in Scotland to race on an oval track in England and Wales, should be given a different level of protection from those intended to race at an oval track in Scotland.
Finlay Carson, Convener of the Committee, said;
“Throughout our scrutiny of greyhound racing, including of Petition PE 1758, Members have unanimously shared concerns around the lack of data for injuries, fatalities and associated risks at the independent track at Thornton.
“We note the terms of the Bill are different to those of the petition, but some Members remain unconvinced that there is now sufficient evidence in place to merit an outright ban being imposed.
“We ask the Scottish Government to provide further information on the reasons for its support of the ban so that, as the Bill progresses through Parliament, Members can be confident that a solid case has been made, based on transparent and clear evidence.”
"We also ask, that once this Bill has progressed through its first stage of the parliamentary process, that the Scottish Government provide a full response to our interim report on petition PE 1758.”
1. Thornton Greyhound Stadium in Fife is the last racetrack to operate in Scotland. It is an independent track (not regulated by the Greyhounds Board of Great Britain) and is oval in shape. If the Bill is passed, Ministers would have the power to extend the ban to other shapes of tracks eg straight or figure-of-8.
2. Finlay Carson MSP; Tim Eagle MSP; Rhoda Grant MSP & Beatrice Wishart MSP do not support the general principles of the Bill.
The Committee ran a targeted call for views between 29 August to 10 October 2025. A detailed summary of responses to the Committee’s call for views was also prepared by SPICe.
Read the the questions in the call for views and the published responses
Read the detailed summary of the responses to the call for views (296KB, pdf) posted 30 October 2025
SPICe published a detailed briefing on the Bill which provides further information about the Bill, as well as on the background context of greyhound racing in Scotland and in the rest of the UK.
Read the detailed briefing on the Bill
In August 2025, the Scottish Government set out its support of the general principles of the Bill.
Read the letter from the Government outlining its support of the general principles of the Bill (218KB, pdf) posted 02 September 2025
The Committee scrutinised Petition PE1758 which ‘calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to put an end to greyhound racing in Scotland’ from during the period 2022/2024 and published an interim report – to then allow Mark Ruskell’s Members Bill to pass through parliament.
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