The New Zealand government said Tuesday that it would ban greyhound racing starting in 2026, citing concerns over the rate of injuries and fatalities among racing dogs. Commercial greyhound racing remains legal in only a few countries around the world, including the United States, Australia, Britain and Ireland. The government proposed a bill on Tuesday to prevent the unnecessary killing of racing dogs, while legislation to outlaw greyhound racing altogether will be introduced next year, allowing it to be phased out over the next 20 months. Peters said the greyhound racing industry would be able to make submissions on the legislation. He also said the government would work with animal welfare groups to rehome about 2,900 racing dogs.

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Persons: Winston Peters, Peters, ” Sean Hannan, —, ”, ” Hannan, Arnja Dale, ’ GRNZ Organizations: New, Racing, Greyhound Racing New Zealand, greyhounds, New Zealand Locations: New Zealand, United States, Australia, Britain, Ireland