It is easy to be cynical about politics and we had few expectations that the Senedd committees looking at the Welsh Government’s proposal to ban greyhound racing would wield anything but the rubber stamp (especially given that they are loaded with Labour members). On this occasion, however, it was nice to be wrong as both the Culture and Justice Committees delivered scathing assessments of the Labour government’s approach last week.
The Culture Committee concluded that it was unable to reach an informed view on the Bill because significant questions remain about the adequacy and reliability of the data; the adequacy of the Welsh Government’s consultation; the potential unintended consequences of a ban; the effectiveness of the Bill in improving welfare; and the economic impact on the local community and those involved in the industry. In fact, there were not many questions the committee did think had been answered. It also highlighted the Alliance’s concern that the ethical reasoning behind the Bill could logically extend to other activities, such as horse racing, and that the proposal reflects an ideological position rather than a focus on animal welfare.
The committee concluded that:
“The selective application of an ethical framework to one activity raises questions about consistency across other sports and leisure activities, also highlighting the need for a clear and coherent approach to the use of ethical arguments in future policymaking.”
This is an absolutely key point which challenges the increasingly common political trait of using ‘ethics’ or ‘morality’ as an excuse for imposing opinion and ideology.
Meanwhile, the Justice Committee concluded that:
“The Welsh Government’s approach to legislating for a ban on greyhound racing has, in several respects, fallen short of the standard of good legislative practice that we would normally expect .”
Both committees also probed the backroom deal that was done with Liberal Democrat MS Jane Dodds, who provided the crucial vote which passed the Welsh Government’s budget in return for a commitment to ban greyhound racing. Ministers and civil servants had denied that link but the Culture Committee was unconvinced and found that:
“There is also significant concern that the timing appears to have been influenced by political and budgetary considerations… [and] regrets that the Welsh Government has not been transparent about these drivers.”
Which is as close as any committee will get to saying that the government was lying.
This leaves the legislation teetering. It is already subject to Judicial Review by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain which is arguing that the Welsh Government did not follow the correct process when announcing a ban. The Welsh High Court has granted permission for the claim to go forward and you can be sure that the many criticisms of the process contained within the committee reports will now be added to the case.
With elections due in May it is possible that the the Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Wales) Bill will run out of time before it reaches the statute books. The Alliance will continue to support the Greyhound Board in this fight as it is an absolutely crucial precedent for horse racing, and also for all other activities that involve the use of animals. As the Welsh parliamentary process has uncovered, the motivation behind this ban is not a logical approach to animal welfare, but an ideological attack on the use of animals. That is a fight we cannot afford to lose.