The Greyhound Board of Great Britain has welcomed support for the industry from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy.

Nandy was asked in Parliament whether she agreed with the approach being taken in Wales – where a ban has been proposed – and was quick to confirm that there are no plans to follow suit, whilst acknowledging the economic and social impact the sport has.

Mark Moisley, Commercial Director at the Greyhound Board of Great Britain said:

“We welcome the comments made today by Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, that there are no plans to follow in Wales’ footsteps by banning greyhound racing.

“We are also encouraged by her comments about the joy that the sport brings to many people and the economic contribution the industry makes to the UK.

“We thank the Shadow Minister for Sport for his question following our meeting with him yesterday to brief him on developments in Wales and we look forward to continuing discussions with politicians across the UK on a cross-party basis to champion our sport.

“Greyhound racing is enshrined in British culture and contributes £164 million a year to the economy, employs 5,400 people, and remains one of the top ten spectator sports in the UK – and our priority is to ensure this continues, with the welfare of greyhounds at the heart of this.

“As an industry we have made great strides in enhancing the welfare of racing greyhounds at all stages of their life – but we need more financial support from bookmakers in the way of a compulsory levy to secure the long-term future of greyhound welfare – and the sport.

“That is why we have launched our Keep Welfare On Track campaign, which is calling for all bookmakers to pay a levy that is statutory rather than voluntary.

“Next year marks the 100th anniversary of greyhound racing in the UK, and we look forward to working constructively with all governments across the UK to ensure that licensed greyhound racing is set up to thrive for the next 100 years.”