The Welsh Government's Bill to ban greyhound racing in Wales is looking to be increasingly on the rocks.

The controversial ban, agreed to earlier this year as part of a deal with Liberal Democrat MS Jane Dodds so that the Labour government could pass its budget, has already faced widespread condemnation by campaigners and is facing legal challenge in the High Court, after the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) won permission to seek a judicial review.

The Welsh government has received scathing criticism for a lack of appropriate consultation prior to introducing the Bill, with concerns being raised that the Bill would be in breach of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).

Two cross-party Senedd Committees have now diligently scrutinised the Bill and condemned the process behind the proposed Bill.

Campaigning groups including GBGB and the Countryside Alliance have called on the government to scrap the bill, which has been described as a "dirty backroom deal".

Rachel Evans, Director of Countryside Alliance Wales, slammed the government:

"This Bill should never have been laid in the first place. The Welsh government made a dirty backroom deal, and have attempted to push it through, despite a complete lack of appropriate consultation or evidence.

"The Countryside Alliance formally complained about the woefully inadequate process as far back as February 2024. The government refused to listen then, but it will surely listen now.

"With not one, but two Senedd committees condemning the process behind the Bill, it is time for the government to do the responsible thing - they should acknowledge their failures and scrap the Bill. If they truly care about animal welfare, they should be looking at regulation, rather than pandering to Animal Rights extremists."

The Senedd Culture Committee and the Senedd Legislation, Justice and Constitution (LJC) Committee have both condemned the government for poor practice.

Culture Committee chair Delyth Jewell MS stated: "We were asked to scrutinise a Bill with incomplete and controversial evidence, and within a shorter timeframe. That is not the way to make good law. The Welsh government should have taken more time to gather solid data and consult widely."

The LJC Committee then joined their colleagues in condemning the process, stating: "We consider that the introduction of a Bill before all relevant impact assessments have been fully completed represents poor legislative practice, particularly in circumstances where the Bill may impact on human rights."

They summarised government failings by asserting: "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."

The Senedd are expected to vote on the Bill on 16 December.

Mark Bird, CEO of GBGB, said:

"After this second cross-party attack in 24 hours, the Welsh Government's Bill is in tatters. Two consecutive Senedd Committee reports have piled criticism on the Government’s failures in due diligence throughout this Bill process. With the LJC Committee – whose sole responsibility is ensuring the quality and grounding for all Welsh legislation – now joining the Culture Committee in condemning this Bill, pressure is mounting on Welsh Government to drop this botched process.

"From insufficient evidence and public consultation to the failure to consider the human rights of those who would be affected, every aspect of this Bill continues to be torn apart by those tasked with its scrutiny.

“It is long past time for the Welsh Government to accept the manifest failures of this process – as two Committees now have – and prioritise greyhound welfare through regulation rather than doubling down on their Davies-Dodds greyhound folly.”