'Writing’s on the wall for greyhound'. But what about the horses?

We also know greyhound racing is inherently risky for the dogs. The design of the buildings and the curved tracks mean they always run anti-clockwise and so experience greater force on their left sides, leading to injuries. The centrifugal force also tends to pull the animals to the outside, increasing the risk of collision with the fence. And the fact that the dogs slow down as they enter the bends makes collision more likely too. It’s all built into the race and it means dogs get hurt and dogs die.

But even so, I worry about the undercurrents here. Shawfield closed at the start of the pandemic and never reopened, meaning there’s only one operating track left in Scotland now: Thornton near Kirkcaldy. We also know greyhound racing is still valued by a small but passionate part of the population mostly drawn from working class communities. So is a ban on greyhound racing the right priority? Is it more likely to happen because a way of life that middle-class people don’t much care for is an easy target?

To be clear, I’m not saying we should avoid a ban on greyhound racing just because some people like doing it – the whims and obsessions of human beings is a flimsy justification for the suffering of animals. But what I am saying is that it would be problematic to ban greyhound racing (not many people and animals taking part, not much money involved, enjoyed by the non-powerful) while doing nothing about horse racing (lots of people and animals involved, lots and lots of money involved, run by the powerful). Sport stinks of class prejudice from top to bottom in this country but we shouldn’t let it affect how we legislate.

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It's also worth looking at the figures on horse racing, which are horrifying. The first horse to die in the UK this year, that we know about, was Popcorn Magic at Kempton on January 10 and the most recent was Lope De Rueda at Pontefract on July 19. And here’s the list of the Scottish casualties: Thaki, Ayr, July 8. Heatherdown Hero, Musselburgh, July 3. Event of Sivola, Perth, May 16. Charizord, also Perth, the day before. Beaumesnil, Perth, April 25. Kellermann, Kelso, April 15. Balfor Girl, Ayr, March 8. Absolute Notions, Musselburgh, February 4. Getagin, Mussellburgh, the same day. Holmes St Georges, Musselburgh, the day before. There will be more.

And think of the other areas of Scottish life where animals are killed or injured or abused and nothing, or very little, is done. The shooting of birds for example. Shooters are supposed to stick to the quarry list, a list of birds which can be shot legally during open seasons. But not only does the list include many birds that are of conservation concern, there’s nothing that requires shooters to know what’s on the list and what isn’t or how to tell the difference. The Scottish Government was also supposed to be doing a review of the list, but there’s been no sign of it yet (and don’t hold your breath).

And pigs, let’s talk about them. You may have noticed there was a protest in Edinburgh at the weekend against the use of farrowing crates. Pregnant sows are placed in these crates shortly before giving birth and remain in them for five weeks or more, unable to turn around or move beyond lying down and standing up. They are hideous devices and some 6,000 supporters of the charity OneKind, which organised the protest, have written to the government calling for a ban. Will it happen? You still holding your breath?

Obviously, there are other issues with many other animals but a common theme emerges: there are serious interests invested in activities that damage animal welfare and they are serious interests that will resist efforts to do something about it. And if the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament does get round to doing something about it, the legislation produced needs to be robust and good and solid and Scotland’s record on that is, frankly, not good.

This is demonstrated by the example I’ve already given of the quarry list on birds that’s vague and unenforced and a so-called government review that we may or may not ever see. But there are others. There’s a ban on hunting foxes with dogs except it still allows people to use two dogs to look for foxes which is obviously open to abuse. There’s also a new licensing scheme for grouse shooting, but will the monitoring and enforcement of the licences be enough to stop the persecution of birds of prey? It looks doubtful.

The protest in Edinburgh over farrowing crates for pigs (Image: OneKind)

I suspect the reason we end up with laws like this is because the government has a desire to be seen to be doing something – fair enough – but also a desire to avoid really taking on the vested interests. Hence a fox ban and foxes are still killed. Hence grouse licensing and raptors are still persecuted. There’s the same risk too with any legislation that eventually comes forward on greyhounds: in the end, it’ll maybe be stricter licensing or something of that sort but the sport will carry on. And besides, the Scottish Government said recently that it was minded not to do anything at all. As for horse racing: keep on breathing.

I must admit: I’m a bit depressed by it all. That list of horses that’ve died this year. The sows unable to move in their crates. The foxes chased by dogs. The raptors poisoned. And on and on. At least Mark Ruskell is introducing his bill and, at the very least, is keeping the issue alive (despite my concerns that it’s one of the easier targets). But I only wish we were talking more about all the animals that suffer in this country, sometimes for the most trivial reasons. So that you can have a good day-out? Or a little flutter? With a nice glass of beer? None of that is good enough to justify what goes on. None of it is good enough to justify the list that starts with Popcorn Magic and ends (for now) with Lope De Rueda.