Greyhound Racing Ban Implementation Group meeting: 6 August 2026

Members present

Dr Emily Blackwell (Chair) – Associate Professor in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Bristol Veterinary School
Katie Bennison – Valley Greyhound Stadium 
Scott Fryer – Battersea Dogs and Cats Home
Vanessa Waddon – Hope Rescue & Cut the Chase Coalition 
Gareth Walters – Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA)
Richard Brankley – SIS Ltd representative
Dr Sam Gaines – RSPCA & Cut the Chase Coalition
Allan Dallimore – Caerphilly County Borough Council
Tiffany Blackett – Greyhound Board of Great Britain

Secretariat 

Caitlin Doyle: Welsh Government Official

Welsh Government support

James Morris - Head of Animal Health & Welfare
Tom Henderson - Head of Animal Welfare Policy
Eleri Lewis - Head of Employability Programme Delivery

1.1 Dr Blackwell welcomed attendees to the meeting.

1.2 Apologies were received from Sarah Carr and Professor Tim Parkin.

1.3 Dr Blackwell introduced Tiffany Blackett, Veterinary Executive at the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), to the Group.

1.4 The Group welcomed Eleri Lewis (Welsh Government - Head of Employability Programme Delivery) to the meeting. Eleri was invited to provide an overview of the support available to staff at Valley Greyhound Stadium.

2.1 Previous meeting minutes were reviewed and agreed with no amendments.
2.2 Action points were reviewed:

July

Action 1: complete

Welsh Government officials to circulate Welsh business closure information to the Group via Objective Connect.

Action 2: outstanding – Scott Fryer to lead

Group members to identify and consider relevant organisations for inclusion in, and signature of, the Memorandum of Understanding.

Action 3: will be discussed during the meeting

Continue engagement with the GBGB regarding rehoming arrangements for greyhounds affected by the ban.

Action 4: complete – no further surveys submitted

Katie Bennison to encourage completion of the remaining trainer surveys by the end of July.

Action 5: complete

Dr Gaines to contact Forever Hounds to support and encourage completion of trainer surveys by trainers.

Action 6: complete

Welsh Government officials to continue engagement with employability support colleagues and extend an invitation to attend the August meeting.

Action 7: ongoing – aim is to circulate in advance of the next meeting

Welsh Government officials to update the Group’s Terms of Reference and circulate for agreement at the next meeting.

2.3 Anna Jeffery will be invited to attend the next meeting in her capacity as a representative of trainers at Valley Greyhound Stadium. 

Action 1 – Secretariat to invite Anna Jeffery to the September meeting.

2.4 Scott Fryer will lead on the preparation of a list of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signatories. Accompanying covering letter(s) will also be drafted to support its circulation.

Action 2 – Scott Fryer to prepare a list of MoU signatories.

2.5 Katie Bennison asked if previous meeting transcripts were still available. Caitlin Doyle stated that meeting transcripts are deleted once the minutes of each meeting are drafted, to adhere to GPDR guidelines.

3.1 Eleri Lewis provided an overview of the employability support that may be available, subject to eligibility, to employees affected by the closure of Valley Greyhound Stadium. This support is available to individuals who are under formal notice of redundancy or who have been made redundant within the previous six months.

3.2 Funding is available through a flexible training provision tailored to individual circumstances, skills needs and local, regional and national labour market opportunities.

3.3 The support is delivered through a multi-agency approach involving Working Wales, Communities for Work Plus and Jobs Growth Wales+. Individuals receive one-to-one support and are assigned a dedicated Working Wales adviser or mentor.

3.4 The Group thanked Eleri for the information provided.

4.1 The Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability has noted the Group’s first report, has agreed to its publication and will respond to the recommendations for the Welsh Government. 

4.2 The timing of publication is still under consideration. A Written Statement will be issued to announce publication of the report and Cabinet Minister’s response. 

4.3 The Cabinet Minister has agreed to extend the Group’s tenure for a further 12 months to support implementation of the ban, with its longer-term role to be reviewed to support a review of legislation as per report recommendation 6.

4.4 The Group remains committed to submitting its next report by the end of October 2026. The report will include a recommended timetable for implementing the ban, proposed transition arrangements, rehoming processes and responsibilities, and welfare safeguards for affected greyhounds.

4.5 Dr Blackwell is currently developing a draft timeline and implementation plan, which will be shared with the Group via Objective Connect for consideration.

Trainer survey

5.1 No further surveys were received after the last push. The survey has now closed.

5.2 Survey responses account for approximately 74% of racing greyhounds currently registered at Valley Greyhound Stadium.

5.3 Based on information received from representatives of Valley Greyhound Stadium, it is estimated that 364 greyhounds will be affected by the ban. This does not mean that all of these dogs will require rehoming, as some trainers will continue to race in England.

5.4 The Group agreed that sufficient information has now been gathered to support planning activities and inform future reporting. Dr Blackwell will produce a summary report and share it with the group via Objective Connect.

Future of site discussions

5.5 No further discussions have been held. Current owners intend to sell the site (with or without planning permission) rather than develop it themselves.

Social, cultural and economic impact

5.6 Richard Brankley noted that there may be welfare risks associated with the ban if trainers are unable to secure alternative racing opportunities for their greyhounds prior to the ban coming into force. 

5.7 Members reiterated that the Group intends to recommend a phased implementation timetable over a 12-month period. This would provide trainers with sufficient time to plan and enable rehoming organisations to prepare for an increase in the number of greyhounds requiring rehoming. It would also allow retired/non racing greyhounds to be rehomed prior to the ban coming into force.

5.8 The Group noted that the final decision on the coming-into-force date rests with the Cabinet Secretary. While the legislation does not provide for a formal wind-down period, a managed transition could potentially be achieved through agreement between the racing industry and rehoming organisations to coordinate the intake of dogs. However, a phased approach is not currently favoured by the greyhound racing industry, and discussions on this matter remain ongoing.

Welfare of dogs

5.9 It was reiterated that GBGB does not own or operate any rehoming centres directly and instead relies on partner organisations participating in the Greyhound Retirement Scheme (GRS). The current position of the GBGB Board is that bond payments will continue to be limited to GRS-affiliated rehoming organisations.

5.10 Responsibility for meeting all veterinary requirements, including neutering and vaccinations, remain with the greyhound owners. However, GBGB licensed greyhound owners can claim a contribution towards the costs of neutering from GBGB prior to rehoming.

6.1 An updated version of the Group’s Terms of Reference will be circulated to members by Welsh Government officials for comment ahead of the next meeting.

Action 3 – Welsh Government officials to finalise and circulate the updated Terms of Reference to Group members prior to the next meeting.

7.1 Nothing further was raised under this item.

Actions log

Action 1 

Allocated to Welsh Government

Secretariat to invite Anna Jeffery to the September meeting.

Action 2

Allocated to Scott Fryer

Scott Fryer to prepare a list of MoU signatories.

Action 3 

Allocated to Welsh Government officials

Welsh Government officials to finalise and circulate the updated Terms of Reference to Group members prior to the next meeting.