The controversial Prohibition of Greyhound Racing Bill in Wales has been heavily criticised by a cross-party parliamentary committee set up to consider whether it should proceed through the legislature.
A report has been published after a period of consultation, alongside comment from Committee Chair, Delyth Jewell.
For those hoping the plan to ban greyhound racing in Wales by 2030 will eventually be thrown out, it is a mixed bag of news.
Though the report strongly criticises the process by which this bill has taken shape, it also reiterates that there is plenty of support from members of the committee, the Welsh Parliament and the public for a ban.
However, Jewell points out that due to the Welsh Government's decision to try and rush through the bill, the committee has not had time to gather and scrutinise evidence in the way it would like.
The bill was officially brought forward by the Government in September 2025, and Jewell says that members have had to: "grapple with incomplete and fiercely contested evidence."
While the report does engage in detail with the bill and evidence surrounding welfare, the provenance of the bill has clearly shaped the way it was received.
Mark Bird, CEO of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), previously told Global Gaming Insider that the bill gained traction in Wales due to a "dirty backroom deal."
In fact, the GBGB was recently granted permission by the Welsh High Court to proceed with its claim for a judicial review of the Government's decision to take up the bill - this means there will be a full substantive hearing into the matter.
Jane Dodds, Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wales, brought the bill, which the Labour Government appeared to take on a quid pro quo basis to get its budget through the Senedd.
In light of the bill's expedition, the new report recommends that the Government undertake a comprehensive assessment of the economic and social implications of the bill before it is brought into force.
While it may be seen that this was, in fact, the role of this very committee, it is clear that members did not feel they were granted space and time enough to execute that job thoroughly.
The Government's stated rationale for a ban is built around welfare concerns for the dogs.
The report's review of the evidence provided on this subject states that there was clearly a tension between the interests of animal welfare and those of industry workers.
On this matter however, and others, the committee's ultimate view was inconclusive due to an evidence base it called "insufficiently robust."
Though it does not go as far as to agree with Bird's strongly worded characterisation of the bill, the report does acknowledge that the "accelerated process has compromised the quality of legislative development and left important questions unresolved."
A similar bill brought by the Green Party is being considered in the devolved Scottish Government
