Ministers were told not to pursue an immediate ban as there wasn’t ‘robust’ evidence, it has emerged

Senedd members have backed a ban on greyhound racing – but it has emerged Welsh Government ministers were told they shouldn’t pursue an immediate ban as there wasn’t enough evidence to justify one. Opponents of the law have pursued a judicial review of it which could scupper the Welsh Government’s plans for a ban.

The Greyhound Board of Great Britain’s (GBGB) case is that appropriate consultation was not undertaken prior to the decision to ban, and that the decision and introduction of the bill was therefore unlawful.

The High Court hearings have taken place, with hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday last week. Judgement was reserved, and will be handed down potentially as soon as next week.

The ban was agreed as part of a deal with sole Liberal Democrat Senedd member Jane Dodds so the Labour government could pass its budget for 2025-26. Ms Dodds, a greyhound owner, has been a vocal advocate of a ban.

It has now emerged that before the deal was announced, government officials sent a document of “ministerial advice” to deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies in February 2025, which did not recommend an immediate ban.

GBGB argue that Mr Irranca-Davies has said there was evidence on which to base a ban, telling, for example, a Senedd committee member that: “Actually, we have very, very robust evidence of why there’s a need for this legislation”.

The 23-page ministerial advice document gives a 100 word summary, and recommendations including four options.

Option 1 : An immediate ban on greyhound racing (no phased approach).

Option 2: A phased ban on greyhound racing.

Option 3: Develop proposals for the licensing of owners, trainers and keepers of racing dogs.

Option 4 :Do nothing (continue to work with industry).

Officials recommended the third option and to “develop proposals for the licensing of owners, trainers and keepers of racing dogs, including greyhounds, and greyhound racing establishments”.

It says: “The call for evidence in the consultation did not provide enough robust evidence on which to justify or negate a phased ban on welfare grounds and did not include questions on an immediate ban.”

The document lists the risks of pursuing an immediate ban. “Assessing the impact of a ban is required to ensure animal welfare, social and economic impacts are understood.”

Among the seven concerns were the fate of those animals racing, or being bred to race, as well as closing down the Valley stadium, the only active track in Wales.

It says the rescue sector could be impacted negatively, as well loss of social cohesion and economic impacts.

It also says that a phased or immediate ban would bring “reputational risks” to the Welsh Government, “with regards to overreach by the Welsh Government and in driving through policy without relevant consultation”.

There are a number of paragraphs of the advice document that are redacted.

When the budget deal was agreed there was anger with the inclusion of the ban being called “dirty” and “dodgy”.

When the Senedd’s culture committee looked at the proposed ban, the committee also raised concerns about whether a “robust evidence base” was used.

“The committee is concerned that the Welsh Government has relied heavily on the headline figures from the 2023 consultation to suggest that there is a strong level of public support in Wales for prohibiting greyhound racing.

“We note that the consultation was not primarily focused on this specific proposal, and that it relied on a self-selecting methodology, which is inherently vulnerable to bias and does not provide a representative measure of public opinion.

“This approach, combined with the volume of duplicate responses, undermines the robustness of the evidence base for legislative decisions.

“In our view, further meaningful and targeted consultation should have taken place alongside the development of a robust evidence base before a decision was taken to legislate.”

A spokesperson for the Greyhound Board of Great Britain said: “The Welsh Government has shown the same attitude to rushing this through as they have from the very start of this process.

“It is a wonder that – given the legal proceedings underway – they’ve chosen to push this Bill forward at all costs, even while judges consider whether it is unlawful.

“We are pleased to have set out our case against this flawed legislation. The Welsh Government always had the option to pursue regulation as a highly effective way to ensure the welfare of racing greyhounds.

“Instead, as the documents presented at the hearings show, they chose to pursue this misguided dodgy Bill even while being told by officials that there was insufficient consultation or evidence to support it. The lessons laid out raise serious alarm bells not just about the treatment of this Bill and our sport but for the wider legislative process. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here

“We hope the Court comes to the right conclusion when a judgment is handed down but, in any case, the hearings have exposed the failures in evidence gathering and due diligence that we have been challenging throughout.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “As this is ongoing litigation and we are awaiting the Court’s judgment, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.”

Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, said: “Wales is a progressive nation, committed to ethical standards and forward-thinking legislation. This Bill strengthens our reputation as a leader on animal welfare and delivers the standards that the people of Wales rightly expect.”