Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010

Yes, it is easy to impose upon British greyhounds, but not upon greyhounds that are imported. The noble Lord knows that; he is not one who advocates great distraints upon trade, and he will recognise that we would get into trouble if we introduced the dimension of putting a distraint on the importation of greyhounds from the Republic. We must expect, though, that when we set standards for our tracks and the care of our animals, in due course those standards will be reflected in other dogs that arrive here. The Irish practice that the noble Lord has referred to as being unacceptable will gradually not be perpetrated there as they follow the patterns that we use for identification here. There is no way that I can match the levels of expertise that have been reflected in this Committee, but I am delighted that our measures are recognised as advancing the welfare of greyhounds. I appreciate that if a sufficient head of steam with regard to the industry is generated for additional measures, some of which have been suggested today, we will improve even on what we have.