 I remind everyone that Parliament is still sitting, so those leaving the chamber and indeed the public gallery should do so as quickly and as quietly as possible. The next item of business is a member's business debate on motion 5.949, in the name of Mark Ruskell. On Greyhound Racing in Scotland, the debate will be concluded without any questions being put. I'd encourage members who wish to participate to press the request to speak buttons now or as soon as possible. I call Mr Ruskell to open the debate for him seven minutes. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and can I start by thanking members who signed the motion for debate and to those who put time aside during this very busy day at Holyrood to listen and to contribute. I'd also like to thank the organisations and campaigners who work tirelessly on Greyhound welfare and re-homing across the UK, including Scotland against Greyhound exploitation, One Kind, the SSPCA, Blue Cross and the Dogs Trust. Some of these organisations are here outside Parliament today with Greyhounds, and I invite all members to join them after this debate and indeed members of the public as well. I admit that a few of my Holyrood motions garner support from all corners of this chamber, but I was delighted to see strong cross-party support for this motion, and I look forward to hearing everyone's contributions. I think it's worth reflecting on what this level of support means. Firstly, Greyhounds are a much-loved and iconic breed of dog, loved as much for their good nature as for their speed and grace, but it also shows that society's attitudes to Greyhound racing have seriously shifted. In recent years Greyhound racing tracks around the country have closed down. Once there were over 20 licensed tracks in Scotland, and now with Shorefield Stadium in Rutherglen hosting no races since 2020, there are none left. Thanks to dogged campaigners and organisations exposing the harms of their so-called sport, it's now impossible to ignore the brutal reality of Greyhound racing. People have voted with their feet. Tracks have shut down, and sites have been repurposed for housing. Yet Greyhound racing is still not banned in Scotland. With the de facto closure of Shorefield, there may not be any operational licensed tracks left, but there still remains one unlicensed track that is thought in Greyhound Stadium in Fife, which operates under no obligations to meet industry welfare rules. I will be no surprise to people in this chamber that I am calling for a phased end to Greyhound racing in Scotland, but I am not the only one. Concerns about the levels of injuries and deaths of dogs at Greyhound racing tracks across the UK have been growing, and the positions of bodies including the SSPCA, the RSPCA and the Dogs Trust have now shifted decisively to back a phased ban on Greyhound racing. Those calls for a ban do not come lightly. They are evidence-based, and they follow years of patient working with the industry to try and drive reform of welfare standards. However, those attempts at reform have unfortunately failed. The Greyhound Board of Great Britain, the regulating body, has been required to publish injury and death statistics annually since 2017. In 2018, it introduced a Greyhound commitment aiming at improving welfare and reducing injuries. Despite those measures, the latest data reported 197 injuries and 15 deaths between 2017 and 2020 at Shorefield alone. Injuries data in 2020 nearly doubled for Shorefield. Fundamentally, Greyhounds cannot be raced against each other at 40 miles an hour around a circular track in a way that does not expose the dogs to unacceptable risks of injury and death. That is the crux of the matter, because even having a vet present at a licence track does not remove or mitigate those risks. It is fundamentally unethical to be racing dogs as a spectacle for entertainment and gambling, knowing that they face these unacceptable risks of injury and death. It is also clear that the current laws are inadequate and do not protect Greyhounds from harm. The Animal Welfare Act went through the Scottish Parliament in 2005, and the evidence sessions did briefly focus on Greyhound racing. I was a member of the committee at the time, but the committee as a whole felt that the duty of care placed on animal keepers to ensure that animals are protected from suffering injury and disease was enough to drive better welfare for Greyhounds. I did agree with that position, but, unfortunately, this plant was proven wrong. Welfare problems have increased, not declined. Greyhounds are being willfully subjected to rather than protected from suffering and injury. Even in the absolute clearest cases of abuse that would breach that legal duty of care, the GBGB rules of racing are applied internally by its own disciplinary committee, with details only published four to five months after the offence. The SSPCA has found that that does not allow them enough time to gather evidence and mount a prosecution under the statute time limits. The risks at unregulated tracks, such as Thornton, are potentially even greater. Thornton is now reporting up to 30 dogs running on race nights. As the last track standing in Scotland, it may have attracted trainers who previously raced Greyhounds at Shorefield. Unregulated tracks have no requirement to apply governing body rules, provide veterinary support on site, or test dogs for doping. There is also the likelihood of ex-licensed track racers being sold on to race at Thornton, where they would be more prone to injury due to age or health issues that come from a long career in racing. Last week, the Dogs Trust, RSPCA and Blue Cross called for a phased end to Greyhound racing. The reviews conducted by the three charities found disjointed and ineffective regulation within the Greyhound sector a lack of transparency regarding industry practices and concerns around the enforcement of regulatory standards. Their proposed phase out across the UK is expected to be feasible within five years to allow the racing industry and animal welfare organisations to carefully plan and coordinate the care of many dogs affected. Meanwhile, the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, who has already called for an end to unlicensed Greyhound tracks, has also committed to considering the joint work of the charities before coming to their own position on the future of licensed tracks. The previous Scottish Government rightly ended the exploitation of wild animals and travelling circuses at a time when their use had dwindled away and there were strong welfare and ethical arguments for a ban. We have reached the same point today with Greyhound racing. Rather than asking whether we should ban Greyhound racing, the question is really, who wants to keep it alive? Is Greyhound racing one of the biggest issues facing Scotland today of all days? No, it clearly isn't. However, if we can spare an hour in this chamber, even in the hardest of times to give a voice to animals who are voiceless, then that speaks volumes to our compassionate values as a Parliament. With that thought, I look forward to the member's contributions. I move to the open debate. I call Ruth Maguire to be followed by Annie Wells. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I congratulate Mark Ruskell on securing cross-party support from all parties is indeed a fine thing and ensuring that this debate can go ahead. I would also like to recognise all the work that he does for Animal Welfare and Greyhounds in particular. It's a pleasure to make a brief contribution and I'm happy to speak in support of the motion. I agree with the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission view that there should be an end to Greyhound racing at unlicensed tracks and I welcome that they're considering the situation with licensed tracks as well. I was introduced to the topic by my constituent Emily Rimikins and I met with her and Sage in Irvine a number of years ago. I had no real prior knowledge of the subject and perhaps, like many people, I would have assumed that the dogs would have been really well looked after perhaps on reflection a little naively. I thought that the running and chasing was natural behaviour and therefore it was all all right. Sage, Scotland against Greyhound exploitation, whom I met with, held weekly protests outside Scotland's remaining Greyhound track and they've been campaigning for an end to the exploitation of Greyhounds since 2017. I took the opportunity to join them at a protest in Buchanan Street in Glasgow where their placards powerfully illustrated to the many passers-by-the reality of Greyhound racing for the animals. I commend them on that awareness raising work. Many of those protesting had rescued Greyhounds so new first hand how those wonderful animals were being treated by the racing industry. They were treated like commodities, dumped and discarded when they were no longer deemed useful. The reported animal welfare concerns linked with Greyhound racing are frankly jaw-dropping and they include neglect, malnutrition, doping with class A substances, a lack of adequate healthcare provision and severe and fatal injuries. Substances found in samples taken from dogs running at Shawfield included cocaine, amphetamine, steroids, beta blockers and pro hormones. All of those can have harmful side effects and some of them are really severe. There is no testing at Thornton Scotland's unlicensed track, which should raise grave concerns about the level of drugs that were used there. There was a comprehensive internal review conducted by the Dogs Trust, RSPCA and Blue Cross and it highlighted serious concerns at every stage of a racing Greyhound's life, including around inadequate welfare standards in kennalling and transporting of the dogs. Some of the dogs used in racing were kept in poor barren conditions with little of any enrichment and fed a very poor diet. The review also highlighted concerns around the general health of the dogs, including the number and severity of injuries sustained during racing. There were also serious issues around the racing of Greyhounds in extreme weather and the number of puppies that were unaccounted for between birth and racing registrations, so often referred to the sector but referred to by the sector as wastage. Greyhound racing is inherently dangerous for the dogs involved. Running at speed around oval tracks causes significant injury to many dogs, and in some cases the injuries are so severe that it is necessary to euthanise the dogs. The Greyhound board of Great Britain is the self-regulating organisation that covers licensed Greyhound racing in Great Britain. In my opinion, one death of an animal for the so-called entertainment of humans is too many, but the latest reported data released by the Greyhound board of Great Britain concludes that there was over a thousand deaths at their tracks within five years between 2017 to 2021. There is no similar data for unlicensed tracks, where there is no official regulatory body present to ensure animal welfare state standards are met. Can I commend all the campaigners and rest of the organisations for their on-going rehoming and awareness-raising work? When I am out walking my own dog, Rudy, she particularly enjoys meeting Greyhounds on the beach and always makes a valiant attempt at racing them. She is a miniature dashhound, so valiant is putting it lightly. So a final mention for all those who re-home these wonderful dogs and give them the life and love that they deserve. Thank you very much. I am sure that my sister will accept those plaudits very graciously. I now call Annie Wells to be followed by Christine Grahame for around four minutes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in today's debate on the future of Greyhound Racing in Scotland, and I would like also to thank Mark Ruskell for bringing this motion before the Chamber. Dogs in all shapes and sizes are loving members of our families, not only here in Scotland but across the globe. Protecting their safety and overall welfare is vital. Presiding Officer, it is clear that Greyhound Racing in Scotland has been on the decline for years. As the dog racing industry boomed across the west throughout the early to mid 20th century, thousands of Scots flocked to pack stadiums each week to spectate the races under the floodlights. It became a core leisure activity for many communities across the country, offering escapism, a night out with friends and a chance to win some money. That was the end, Presiding Officer, and this is now. Today, as the popularity of Greyhound Racing has faded, as we have heard, there are only two remaining tracks, one of which is Shawfield Stadium in my Pylon into Region, and the other one, known as a flapper track, is Staunton. Regulations themselves are pretty loose. In collaboration with animal welfare charities across the country, I acknowledge the positive work undertaken by those in the industry such as Greyhound Board of Great Britain to improve conditions for racing dogs. However, despite those efforts, glaring issues remain, particularly over the scope and robustness of the regulation in place, to protect the welfare of those dogs, both on and off the track. Data shows that, from 2017 to present, there were over a staggering 22,000 injuries to racing dogs recorded in the UK. Like many I saw first hand, the awful injuries that these graceful dogs have suffered, including limbs being badly injured, that vets are left with no other option but to amputate. Heartbreakingly, over the same period, at least 1,000 dogs lost their life through racing. Presiding Officer, with the industry in decline, leading animal welfare groups such as Blue Cross and Dogs Trust have called for a phased end to Greyhound Racing in Scotland in the UK. As we discussed whether the industry has a future in the 21st century of Scotland, we cannot lose sight of the important matters to be considered, not least how to support people's livelihoods who are engaged in the sector. However, one thing is clear, the safety and welfare of Greyhounds is paramount. On that note, I would like to pay tribute to the fantastic work that Scotland's rescue centres do in caring for and re-homing retired racing dogs. Dedicated volunteers across the country play a vital role in safeguarding the welfare of thousands of retired Greyhounds, many of whom have spent years on the racetrack. I know that first hand because a member of my staff in Parliament adopted a particularly cheeky and playful Greyhound, named Todd, who, in the stands of his back legs, is way taller than me, which most dogs are. Even your dash would probably be taller than me as well. I became quickly a much-loved and cherished part of the family. Presiding Officer, as I bring my remarks to a close, I would like to appeal to those who are considering getting a pet. By adopting a Greyhound, not only are you bringing this special and gentle dog into your family, but you are giving these retired Greyhounds a home, a place that they will be loved and cared for, not because of how fast they can run, but for who they are. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I know that this is an issue about which people feel passionately, but I would encourage those in the public gallery not to participate, and that includes clapping as well. With that, I call Christine Grahame to be followed by Rona Mackay for around four minutes. I congratulate the member on securing this debate. I am aware that much of my contribution may be repeating what others have said, but I do not care. I also thank one kind, Blue Cross Dogs Trust and the SSPC for their briefings. All support is a complete ban on Greyhound racing in Scotland. Yesterday, in discussion about this debate with another member, I was questioned whether I had ever actually attended a Greyhound meeting. In fact, I had that it was many moons ago at Powder Hall Stadium in Edinburgh long since demolished and we developed for housing. The floodlights gave it glamour. The dogs charged out after the rabbit decoy, and it was all very exciting, but that was, as I said, a long time ago, and life and times and the way we look at the value and the worth of our animals moves on. These days, we are aware of the toll that it takes on the dogs. The not all owners and tracks have the welfare of the dogs at the centre, and despite the Great British Greyhound Board, too many dogs have been drugged, injured or put down, and, of course, as has already been mentioned, there are particular concerns about unlicensed tracks. The cross-party group on animal welfare, which I share, has had the chief executive of GBGB before us, and the issue of welfare of Greyhounds was raised with him. While he appeared to genuinely want to tighten up on the welfare of Greyhounds, there are still too many deaths and injuries, and I have read the GBGB 2022 strategy, claiming that it will be a welfare-centric sport, long-term strategy for the dogs, lifelong commitment to their wellbeing and maximising their rehoming, but it is too late and, in my view, out of time. The GBGB reported that across the UK between 2017 and 2020 more than 1,000 dogs died or were euthanised. There were 1,800 injuries, and, as others have said at Shelfield, the only Scottish licence track for the same period. There were 197 injuries with 15 deaths, too many injuries and too many deaths. There shouldn't have been any. According to the GBGB in 2021, there were an excess of 18,000 licensed Greyhounds eligible for their licence tracks, with additional Greyhound racing and independent tracks, so called, for which there are no recorded figures. I think that many listening to this debate will be surprised to put it mildly that there are unlicensed tracks, being the only one in Scotland that Thornton and Fife already mentioned. Unregulated no record of veteran facilities at the site. Incidentally, the only data that I could dig out available from Thornton race track is from the owner, who commented that only one in 10 are injured. As a 10% injury rate, hardly appropriate use of the word only. A distance to the injuries is evidence of doping of poor welfare conditions and, again, no vet in attendance. As are the dogs' destiny at the end of its brief career—to use the word career—this can be varied. There are some accorded to GBGB unsuitable for rehoming, and they are euthanised. Put to death. Others may be rehomed. Actually, I've seen quite a few round Holyrood parks, so there must be somebody organising it here, and I commend that. However, I also saw for myself once when driving down the A7 just past Gorebridge, a confused and terrified greyhound loose at the side of the road. My hunch—and I did report this to the SSPC among others who had seen it—was that it had been dumped and left to its fate, either to be killed by a car or perhaps lucky enough for somebody to report at the SSPCA. Callous Indefensible Behaviour. Once a working man's sport, and favoured in particular in mining communities, we've moved on in the way we view animals, our regard for the sentience, therefore our deeper responsibility to our demands of them, as pets for, quote, sport, for, quote, entertainment, and therefore support the banning of greyhounds racing in Scotland, but to be phased with the caveat that, of course, we must particularly animals already being bred or already being used for racing so that they are given better lives. Again, I commend the member for bringing this debate to the chamber, and I hope that the Scottish Welfare Commission moves that step further. It doesn't just want it banned in unlicensed tracks. Presiding officer, you're being very tolerant, but in the one remaining licenced track, which fortunately, for the time being, is not in de facto in use. Thank you. Thank you very much. I now call Rona Mackay to be followed by Colin Smith again for around four minutes, Mr Mackay. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I'm pleased to be speaking in today's important debate, and I thank Mark Ruskell for bringing it to the chamber. Like Christine Grahame, I won't apologise for repeating some things that have already been said because they're just so important. Presiding Officer, I'm not going to miss my words. Greyhound racing is barbaric. It's the exploitation of beautiful dogs purely to make money, and I absolutely abhor it. Animals are not a product or a commodity to be used for human entertainment, although anyone can find seen terrified dogs racing around a track entertaining as beyond me. Presiding Officer, at least 1,026 deaths were recorded at tracks by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain within the last five years, and nearly 18,000 injuries were recorded in the UK between 2018 and 2021. The board reported that, during that period, 197 injuries were reported at Shawfield Stadium in Glasgow, with 15 deaths. Absolutely sickening. Thankfully, Shawfield Stadium has not reopened since March 2020, and as we've heard, there's one track left in Scotland in Thornton and Fife, which is unlicensed and therefore completely unregulated. The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission has stated that we recommend that Thornton be closed immediately. Presiding Officer, I sincerely hope that it is. We'll never know how many animals will die or are injured and suffering at this facility, and it should close immediately. Animal welfare charities such as Blue Cross, the SSPCA and the Dogs Trust have for years tried to work with the governing bodies around the welfare of Greyhounds, including when their racing days end. However, now that they've had enough, they want the so-called sport of Greyhound racing banned. Great work by campaigners has highlighted serious welfare concerns for racing Greyhounds, including a restricted existence, a culture of drugging dogs, poor diet and uncertain fate once their so-called career is over, which often includes euthanasia. Those beautiful gentle dogs spend most of their time in often dank dirty kennels and suffer from untreated wounds and injuries. They may also be constantly muzzled, which is unbearably stressful for them. There are also serious issues around the racing of Greyhounds in extreme weather. During this hot summer, dogs were being forced to race in 32 degrees that's downright cruelty. Incredibly, the number of puppies that are unaccounted for between birth and racing registrations are often referred to by the sector as the wastage and that is sickening. Dogs are not being regarded as sentine beings, they are merely wastage. The Greyhound Board of Great Britain has only been required to publish the data on deaths and injuries since 2017, so a few of the figures have been released to the tip of the iceberg. There is no independent validation of the data, the figures could potentially be and, in my opinion, likely to be even higher. Internal policy reviews conducted by the Dogs Trust, RSPC and Blue Cross found disjointed an ineffective regulation within the sector, a lack of transparency regarding industry practices and concerns around the enforcement of regulatory standards. There is no doubt that a culture of drugging dogs to enhance and impair performance in effect to rig races is widespread. Substances found in samples taken from dogs running at Shofield include cocaine, amphetamine, steroids, beta blockers and pro hormones, all of these harmful side effects, some severe, all of these lead to the extreme suffering of dogs. In addition, the fate of dogs, once their career is over, is unknown. However, I've seen quite horrific pictures of decapitated Greyhounds lying in a ditch. We're hopefully seeing the beginning of the end for Greyhound racing in Scotland. The abuse of these beautiful gentle dogs must end now. In conclusion, like others, I'd like to thank the determined and great efforts of local campaign groups, including one in my constituency of Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Blue Cross, SSPCA, SAGE, RSPCA, One Kind, League of Cruel Scots and other sports and others, for their tireless campaigning to stop this barbaric practice. I now call Colin Smyth to be followed by Emma Harper in four minutes. I begin by declaring an interest as a member of the League Against Cruel Sports. I thank Matt Ruskell for tabling his timely motion on ending Greyhound racing in Scotland. I say timely, but the reality is that a ban on Greyhound racing in Scotland is long overdue. I don't believe that everyone who has ever gone to a Greyhound track over the years may have had a bet on a race. Even trained or race Greyhounds don't care about the dogs who are racing. Of course, many of them do. However, the reality is that racing a dog around an oval track speeds in excess of 40mph with the inevitable collisions and accidents with other dogs, with rails, with advertising boards, is undeniably cruel. What little is left of this largely unregulated so-called sport in Scotland is rife, not just with injuries and deaths, but the drugging of dogs, the casting aside of Greyhounds when they are no longer deemed fit to race and therefore have no economic value, and all of that is overseen by an industry that has consistently failed to bring about meaningful improvements. Their time is up, and so too is Greyhound racing. It's time to phase it out, it's time for a ban. I know that some people will argue that with just two tracks in Scotland, Shofield, which hasn't opened since 2020 and the unregulated, unlicensed Thornton, Greyhound racing is in decline, it will soon come to a natural end. That may be true, but how many more injuries, how many more deaths, how much more cruelty will there be before that happens? Although the Greyhound Board of Great Britain has only had to publish data since 2017, we know that there have been at least 22,767 injuries and 1,206 deaths reported across the UK within registered racing Greyhound tracks up to 2020. Dozens in Shofield before it closed, even though it operated just one night per week. Who knows how many at Thornton, because they aren't required to record or even publish that most basic data or even have a vet present at a race. There's also no requirement for any drug testing at Thornton either, but we know that even with drug testing taking place, just 2% of races at Shofield before it halted racing, there were 13 positive cases from 2018 to 2019 alone. Steroids, beta blockers, pro hormones and shockingly in five cases cocaine. Despite that, there appears to have been no criminal proceedings pursued for drugging, abuse cases, injuries or deaths at Shofield. It's clear that regulation simply does not work. And what about after the racing has stopped? That too is unregulated, often unknown, certainly unacceptable. GBGB do not share microchip records allowing individual dogs to be traced, but we know that 668 of the dog deaths from 2017 to 2019 were dogs killed due to the cost of treatment to rehabilitate them following an injury. Now, many dogs do thankfully find new homes due to the outstanding work of many charities. In my own South Scotland region, there was a Greyhound track at Gretna until 2017. It's no coincidence that in 2001, Dumfrieshire Greyhound rescue, now also covering Cumbria, was founded by Graham and Margaret Hill to rehome retired racing Greyhounds. The Gretna track may have gone, but the outstanding work continues to rehome those animals. And 20 years on, they have rehomed over 1,860 dogs and provide continuous care for up to 15 dogs at any one time as they look for new homes. We owe them and all those charities who pick up the pieces of Greyhound racing a real debt of gratitude. I also want to thank those who have been vocal over many years on support of a ban on Greyhound racing, often in dark times when no one appeared to be listening. My constituent, Jill Dawn, abolished all Greyhound racing, who has raised this issue with me almost from the day I was elected. Jill Docherty in Scotland against Greyhound exploitation, whose petition to this Parliament is slowly but surely making progress and has been signed by over 13,000 people, making it the fifth most signed petition in this Parliament's history. Charities like one kind, a league against cruel sports, now joined significantly by RSPCA, the SSPCA, the Dogstress Blue Cross, who spent years trying to work with industry to bring about improvements, have simply lost patience and are now all calling for a ban. The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, as we have heard, has already backed an end to unlicensed tracks, and I have no doubt will soon back an end to licensed tracks. It is time for the Scottish Government to follow, to listen to public opinion, to make clear that it will bring forward legislation to end this cruelty and phase out Greyhound racing once and for all. I can give the minister this assurance. You need not worry, because charities such as Dumfriesher and Cumbria Greyhound rescue, the SSPCA and many others will ensure that those dogs left will find good loving homes to enjoy their retirement free from abuse and free from cruelty. I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate and I thank Mark Ruskell for bringing it forward. I am also happy to support his motion. I want to associate myself with his comments and I thank the action from all the groups that he has mentioned. Greyhound racing is legal in just seven countries in the world, only two tracks remain now in Scotland and many I have mentioned already, Shofield in Rutherglen, which has not been operational since 2020 and Thornton in Fife. Colin Smyth has just mentioned Halcro stadium at Gretna, which closed in 2018. That is also in my South Scotland region and there has been housing built on that site since then. The number of Greyhounds intended for racing is currently at their lowest number in Scotland, and, as the Scottish SSPCA highlighted, a ban at this time would place the smallest possible burden on rescue organisations to ensure that, if implemented in a phased manner, with a full communication with all involved, all dogs currently racing can be re-homed responsibly. Ultimately, I agree that we need legislative change to ban racing in our country to tackle the high number of injuries, deaths and positive drug tests reported in this industry and to reflect the lack of public support for the unsavory use of animals for human entertainment and gambling profit. The regulatory body for Greyhound racing, the Greyhound board of Great Britain, has been required to publish their injury and death statistics since 2017. In 2018, the board introduced a Greyhound commitment aiming to improve welfare and reduce injuries. Despite that, according to the board's own injury-retirement data for 2018, across the UK, just short of 5,000 dogs were injured and increased on the previous year. The figures also state that over 2,000 dogs died or had been killed in the racing industry in 2018-19. The GBGB has also reported only nine positive drug tests in dogs at Shofield and Glasgow in 2018 alone, as reported in various issues of their own Greyhound calendar publication. Information published by the GBGB demonstrates that there have continued to be positive drug tests with Class A drugs in 2019. Those drug tests showed that dogs were drugged with cocaine and methamphetamine and other drugs, as Ruth Maguire and Rona Mackay have described. In reality, the rates of drugging are likely much higher, as only around 3 per cent of dogs who are running are tested. 119 injuries and 15 deaths are at Shofield alone. As the Scottish SPCA report, we do not have the numbers for the unlicensed Thornton track. Those numbers speak volumes and demonstrate the need for a ban. Anyone who has a Greyhound will know that they love comfort and attention. As a dog owner myself and as a proponent of dog-friendly policies, I know how much love our four-legged companions bring. As Collins Smith described, there is great rehoming work being done by Dumfrieshire and Cumbria, Greyhound Rescue Centre, and they have a shop in Lockerbie. I commend them for their rehoming work. It is absolutely not right that we are forced—well, they are forced—to run and through the practice that is simply just for human entertainment and monetary gain. I absolutely agree that there needs to be a ban. As Scotland's animal welfare charity, the Scottish SPCA has reported that Greyhound raising is a significant animal welfare issue and one that needs to be stopped. The question is not if there should be a ban, it is when the ban should happen. From that, I thank Mark Ruskell again for his motion today. Thank you very much indeed. Ms Harper, I now call on Mary McCallan to respond to the debate minister for around seven minutes, please. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I would like to begin the Government's response to this member's debate, a debate that I thank Mark Ruskell for introducing and members for taking part in, by being very clear that Greyhounds are intelligent, affectionate and gentle animals, that the mistreatment of animals in Scotland is completely unacceptable and that we expect those found guilty will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. The Scottish Government is committed to the highest standard of animal welfare and we welcome the views from stakeholders such as the Scottish SPCA, Dogs Trust and Onekind, as well as others who have contributed to discussions in recent times. We work closely with those organisations and, like Mr Ruskell does in his motion, as members have done across the chamber, I would like to give the Government's thanks to them, to campaigners and to rescue groups for their work, campaigning for and rehoming Greyhounds. I, like many others, am very concerned by the reports detailing injuries and deaths, particularly at Shawfield between 2017 and 2020. The Scottish Government takes those figures very seriously indeed, as well as any other unnecessary injury or welfare concerns caused by any animal and as a result of human activity or for entertainment as a number of members have reflected on. On the backdrop of those shocking figures, we note the reported permanent closure of Shawfield stadium, having not reopened following suspension of race meetings due to the pandemic. Of course, as members have reflected on, that leaves just one unlicensed track in Fife. Despite just one track remaining, the Scottish Government appreciates the depth of feeling associated with this sport and recognises the considerations that have been undertaken as part of Public Petition PE1578. On the time that I have today, I would like to cover the laws that stand before looking to the future and actions that could be taken on this matter. The provisions included within the Animal Health and Welfare Scotland Act 2006, as amended, ensure that action can be taken, where there is evidence that the welfare needs of greyhounds, whether they are still racing or retired, are not being met. The member raises an important point about enforcement, which I will come on to if he does not mind waiting for that. I was just going to go on to point out that part two of the act applies to all persons who are responsible for animals. In this case, it includes the breeders, the trainers and the owners of racing greyhounds. Of course, we recently moved to amend the 2006 act with the Animals in Wildlife 2020 act, which means that those found guilty of offences can now face up to five years in prison and unlimited fines. Those recent changes are part of the Government's unwavering conviction that the mistreatment of animals in Scotland is completely unacceptable. As I said in my opening remarks, we expect that those who are found guilty will be prosecuted to the furthest extent. I thank the minister for giving way. Obviously, the 2006 act has been highly effective in some areas of welfare reform and ensuring that the welfare of animals is protected and adequate prosecutions have been brought through. Does the minister believe that in this area, greyhound racing, there are particular problems with the application of the act and it has not been effective in driving the reforms that we all want to see? The intervention, like the previous one, is an important one. It is a point about the enforcement of the law as it stands. The Scottish Government's position is very much that the 2006 act, as it stands, is sufficient, but we are interested in how enforcement, particularly in the case of greyhound racing, can be improved. My point is that the Government has taken significant steps to protect and promote the welfare of dogs, including by those stronger penalties. Right now, in addition to that, following the granting of legislative consent for relevant parts of the UK kept animals bill, we continue to work with other UK Administrations on proposals to tackle the illegal puppy trade, including restricting the number of puppies that can be imported in one vehicle and to prevent the importation of puppies under six months old, heavily pregnant female dogs, or dogs that have had their ears cropped or have been subject to other mutilations that would be illegal in the UK. If those proposals are brought to fruition, they will benefit the lives of thousands of dogs, including puppies that are bred and reared for the greyhound racing industry, because it is an industry where we know a large proportion of dogs who are racing in Britain have been bred elsewhere and transported into the country. The Government in this way is directing time and resources to actions that we think have the widest possible impact on the very largest possible number of dogs. This work is largely being led by my colleague Barry Gougeon, but it sits alongside work that I am leasing on in the protection of wildlife, including ending the chasing and killing of foxes and wild mammals by dogs, reforming grousmere management, banning glue traps, considering the future of snaring and reviewing the powers of the Scottish SPCA. The Government is taking all of that forward right now. That says it stands, but I want to return to the issue at hand, because despite having that robust legislative framework and ever pursuing more impactful change, we recognise that there are challenges faced in enforcement by authorities in collecting data and evidence, particularly from unlicensed greyhound racing premises. We know that there is concern regarding suspected instances of malpractice, including doping and the lack of veterinary care, as members have narrated today. We are committed to continuing to work with enforcement authorities, including the SSPCA, as well as other stakeholders, to ensure that enforcement of those robust laws is operating as it needs to. In that regard, I encourage anyone who is concerned about the welfare of any animal to report their concerns to local authority. It is very brief. The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission, who has been tasked by the Government to look at all those issues, has come out and said that it wants a ban on greyhound racing and unlicensed tracks. Do you have any timeline for when they might come out with a view on licensed tracks, and therefore an outright ban? I would not want to pre-empt the work of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission. All I can say for the Government's point of view is that we look forward to their comments, as we do the comments from the rain committee, and we will take all of that into consideration. I am closing. As I do, I would like to specifically look at what we can do right now to improve the situation in what is a much-declined, but still a very concerning matter of greyhound racing. First, I just want to clarify that the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission's letter to the Rural Affairs, Islands and Natural Environment Committee of 23 May this year did not call for an outright ban on greyhound racing. Rather, it stated that it did not support the continuation of unlicensed tracks in Scotland. The SOC considered that, if greyhound racing was to continue, it would advise it to be conducted under specific regulation to protect the health and welfare of dogs. As I said to Christine Grahame, we will carefully consider recommendations made by them, as we will by the rain committee. However, members will right now be aware of the Scottish Government's programme for government commitment to consult stakeholders on extending licensing legislation to animal care services, which could include dog training, walking and grooming services. Officials in the Government have already begun the preliminary stages of the work, which in substance will be taken forward at the earliest opportunity. My colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Mary Gougeon, is leading on this. However, I am very pleased to be able to confirm today that, while we await the views of SOC, while we will take into account the opinions of the Rural Affairs Committee, we will include in that consultation on licensing the activities of the greyhound industry. Despite the greyhound racing industry's decline in Scotland, we are clear that animal welfare must be paramount and must be upheld. Cruelty to animals, whether they are domesticated or wild, has no place in modern Scotland. That concludes the debate, and I suspend this meeting of Parliament until two o'clock.