North East Animal Rights slam “out of touch” government support for greyhound racing
Written by Jay Nicholson on 31st October 2025
North East Animal Rights (NEAR) have responded to the recent government support for greyhound racing in England.
This show of support came after a petition called for the ban of the sport due to animal welfare concerns with the petition claiming that 1,230 dogs died track-side between 2017 and 2023 as well as there being over 31,000 injuries.
Photo from North East Animal Rights event around Animal Aid’s End Greyhound Racing campaign.
Due to the petition reaching over 10,000 signatures, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs responded and said: “The government has no plans to ban greyhound racing. The government considers it a well-regulated sport and recognises the contribution it makes to many people’s lives as well as to the economy.
“The government has no plans to ban greyhound racing. While the government recognises the concerns some people have about greyhound racing, there is legislation in place to protect the welfare of racing greyhounds in England and a regulatory body – the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) – that has made many improvements to greyhound welfare.”
Anna Malia of NEAR responded to this and said: “The Government needs to wake up to public opinion on greyhound racing and accept that they must join Wales and Scotland in putting a ban in place.
“When we talk to people about this outdated form of so-called entertainment, they are horrified to learn that a greyhound dies on a UK track just every three days, that every stadium has an onsite freezer for the bodies of dogs and fate of other dogs who are no longer able to race.”
She also states that: “The Government can fool itself by saying ‘it’s a source of joy and employment’ – the number of dogs being killed unnecessarily says otherwise. And using the ‘jobs will be lost’ excuse show how out of touch the government truly is.”
