200+ Stakeholders unite as open letter to GBGB gathers momentum

A group of 200+ passionate stakeholders in the UK greyhound racing industry have united behind an open letter, published last night, to the GBGB. The group made up of trainers, kennel staff, breeders, owners, journalists, bookmakers and punters have listed a set of recommendations that they believe need to be implemented to ensure the sport has a viable future.

Notable signatures include highly respected trainers, Patrick Janssens, Matt Dartnall*, Richie Taberner*, Nathan Hunt, Phil Milner, and Patrick Browne. It is expected that more will follow throughout today.

One of the signatories reflected, “I think what we have done will at the very least bring home to the GBGB that it’s not just ‘the vocal minority’ who are unhappy with the state of the sport, but the silent majority too.”

Trainer’s representative on the board, Peter Harnden, tacitly showed his support for the letter on social media stating that, “The letter is to the Board. The owner and trainer reps are part of the board. I would feel our roles would not be to sign but [to] actually give support on actions in what we believe is right within the letter at the board.”

Richie Taberner signed the letter this morning despite fundamentally disagreeing with one of the recommendations. “The discouraging large kennels from owning a huge amount of dogs, personally I have an issue with[…]I train mainly for myself. Stuart and I have a breeding program in Ireland and UK. We started homerunhounds to ensure the sustainability and longevity of the business. I retire healthy fit running greyhounds by age when a space is available. Homerunhounds now has hundreds of volunteers and the homing centre is the 2nd largest in the UK.”

*Both Matt Dartnall and Richie Taverner have signed the letter but as yet remain unverified on the system.

The letter is an attempt to engage positively with the governing body and to open a constructive dialogue with a broader range of stakeholders. A key contributor to the writing of the letter suggested that a positive outcome “could be an open meeting with the GBGB twice a year”.

Those who have already committed to putting their name to the letter are urging more people, including those outside of the running of the sport, to get behind their list of recommendations by digitally signing the letter. To show your support and sign the letter, use this link.

https://openletter.earth/open-letter-to-the-greyhound-board-of-great-britain-c950fc51