Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:29 pm on 8 March 2023.
Absolutely. In fact, Wales is one of only 10 countries in the world where commercial greyhound racing still takes place legally. The so-called sport is banned in most US states, 42, and racing in countries such as South Africa, Jamaica and the Philippines has been stopped.
Now, I think the imminent concerns are, for this, the independent track that now wants to become a certified Greyhound Boards of Great Britain licensed track. And of course, it's been pointed out that the number of races will increase to four times weekly—more dogs, more potential. And it's quite horrible, really, to hear that they're already building numbers of kennels that—. Well, it just worries me.
Now, I have got concerns about recommendation 3, Chair. This concerns the transportation of dogs. I think it's really important that we actually make a distinction between the plight of dogs travelling through Wales to races and the many legitimate purposes for which dogs can be transported. The one part that weakens this report in my opinion is recommendation 5, which opens the door to examining other animal-related sports. This could impact gymkhanas, dog shows, showjumping, and any other activities involving animals, and I'm sure some of those—I used to compete in gymkhanas—[Interruption.]