A billboard claiming that 40 per cent of greyhounds die each year due to racing has been found to be misleading by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
In December 2021, Sighthound Welfare Ltd, a greyhound welfare pressure group, put a campaign poster up next to Watlington Road railway bridge near Oxford Stadium.
The poster featured an image of an on-track collision, showing a greyhound getting trampled by a competitor with the claim “Over 40 per cent of greyhounds DIE each year due to racing.”
This statistic presented in the campaign poster was disputed by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) and Oxford Stadium and ASA found the poster to be misleading.
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In its assessment ASA considered that readers could interpret the claim to mean that over 40 per cent of racing greyhounds in the UK died each year as a result of injuries received whilst racing.
The advert contained small print at the bottom which referred to “Figures for fatalities due to greyhound racing”. Although it also stated that “Over 80 per cent of UK raced greyhounds are bred in Ireland”, ASA did not consider that readers would understand that to mean that the claim intended to include greyhounds who were culled as part of the breeding process.
ASA concluded that the advert must not appear again in its current form. ASA said: “We told Sighthound Welfare Ltd to ensure that future ads did not make claims about the percentage of greyhounds that died each year due to racing unless they held relevant adequate evidence to substantiate those claims.”
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Kevin Boothby, Oxford Stadium Managing Director, said: “We understand campaign groups opposed to greyhound racing are entitled to voice their opinions. But it is essential they deal with facts and avoid publishing wildly inaccurate statistics which demonstrate a complete lack of knowledge and understanding of our sport.
“Greyhound welfare is our foremost priority at Oxford Stadium. We have invested over £250,000 into our kennel and veterinary facilities to provide world-leading standards of care which are matched by trainers under the GBGB’s strict Rules of Racing.
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“Anyone concerned about the welfare of greyhounds participating at Oxford Stadium is welcome to visit our facilities and see for themselves how greyhound racing in its modern format is leading animal welfare standards globally.”
Mark Bird, Chief Executive Officer of GBGB, the regulator for licensed greyhound racing, said: “Welfare is paramount within licensed greyhound racing and, once open, Oxford Stadium will closely adhere to GBGB’s Rules of Racing to safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of their athletes at all times.”
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