First progress report published on Wales's greyhound racing ban implementation

The Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Wales) Act 2026 received Royal Assent in April 2026, making Wales the first UK nation to legislate for an end to greyhound racing. Rather than an immediate stop, the Act allows a commencement window between April 2027 and April 2030, giving the industry time to wind down in an orderly way, strengthening rehoming arrangements for the dogs involved, and preparing enforcement bodies for the transition.

To support that work, the Welsh Government established a Greyhound Racing Ban Implementation Group in July 2025, bringing together representatives from the racing industry, third-sector welfare organisations, local government, academia and independent veterinary experts. The group has now published its first report setting out progress made so far and recommendations for government, enforcement bodies, third-sector partners and the racing industry, alongside a published Welsh Government response to those recommendations.

For anyone connected to greyhound welfare or rehoming, the report is a useful marker of how the transition is being managed in practice, rather than just the legislation itself. It reflects a broader trend in UK animal welfare policy towards phased, welfare-led implementation of bans, with rehoming capacity and industry support built into the timetable rather than left to work itself out afterwards.