Notices - February 2007

GREYHOUND WELFARE

In the world of greyhound racing we hear a lot about Welfare nowadays. Owners in particular are aware that their BGRF funding for graded racing has been slashed by more than £1m to help to finance the cause and many ask that with Fund income of more than £11.5m, why us?

Historically, the cost of Welfare has not figured prominently in the accounts of the businesses promoting greyhound racing, it was always someone else’s problem. Then the Animal Welfare Bill loomed on the horizon. As this piece of legislation got closer, political pressure groups and others found a potential weakness in greyhound racing which could be exploited for one reason or another so the heat was turned up – then we had the Seaham debacle.

To avoid a complete meltdown of the Sport coupled with public dismay and disgust, the result of journalistic sensationalism, since figures of greyhounds put down (but not illegally) did not measure up to the numbers of greyhounds registered in that area, the BGRB decided that Welfare would be the priority for 2007.

Welfare comes in many guises (some might say disguises), some of the more costly items in that budget include track safety, boreholes established for water during local drought restrictions, track surface research, a partnership with Liverpool University looking at genealogy, the RGT, air conditioning of kennels at stadia, transportation upgrades conforming to guidelines issued by DEFRA, hardship payments to trainers through track closures, funding of Veterinary attendance at tracks, a full time Welfare Officer, etc., etc.

All areas of the above main headings show a substantial increase in funding over 2006, a total of £1.149m extra. Ironically, the RGT receives just £400k extra for 2007 from this total.

It could be argued that items within the Welfare budget should be fully funded by Promoters of greyhound racing whose contribution in the past to some of these areas and in Welfare generally has been less than adequate, but with Promoters pleading poverty and the way Committees and the Board of BGRB are constructed it inevitably fell upon the smaller representation therein to bear the brunt of the savings required to finance Welfare increases.

Owners’ representatives on the BGRB and Committees have fought a long and well argued campaign to reduce the original impact of reduced prize money funding, with the result that £227.5k was recovered after a sympathetic re-appraisal by the Board Chairman and his budget Committee. Subsequent arrangements with regard to BGRF funding for open races is being redirected to graded prize money at each track and will add to the overall total for graders.

Owners’ representatives will be closely monitoring how this extra Welfare money is being spent since it is being mainly funded by their sacrifice of prize money.