Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell has secured cross-party backing for his member’s bill. Ministers had previously said they were not “convinced” a ban was necessary and suggested a licensing scheme instead. But in a letter to Mr Ruskell, agriculture minister Jim Fairlie confirmed the government now supported the general principles of the legislation.

Mr Ruskell said: “I am delighted that the government is backing my bill. This is a big step towards ensuring that we protect our greyhounds and halt this cruel gambling-led sport for good.”

He noted that the Welsh government had announced plans in April to prohibit the sport, with New Zealand pursuing similar measures. “With Wales and New Zealand taking action, we can’t let Scotland fall behind the pack,” he said. “If we are a nation of dog lovers then we need to back that up with words and deeds, and deliver real protections.”

Mr Ruskell said his own dog, Bert, was an ex-racing greyhound he had rescued with a broken leg that had never been properly treated. “He’s now 13 years old and a completely different dog who has brought such love into our family, but he should never have been put through the trauma caused by racing to begin with,” he said.

“There are dogs like Bert all over Scotland and my bill will ensure that they are no longer being damaged and then discarded. There is no safe way to force dogs to run around a curved track at 40mph, and I look forward to working with the Scottish government and MSPs from all parties to end it.”

The Unbound the Greyhound coalition, made up of nine animal welfare organisations, welcomed the move. Eve Massie Bishop of OneKind, speaking on behalf of the group, said: “A nation that considers itself a leader in animal welfare must do better than to permit an industry that has cost the lives of 3,957 dogs since 2017. This isn’t ‘entertainment’, it’s cruelty. And Scots have spoken: cruelty has no place in our national identity.”

However, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, the regulator for licensed racing suggested the move was a waste of parliamentary time and resources.

A spokesperson said: “There is currently no licensed greyhound racing in Scotland. The people of Scotland will be totally bemused that the SNP government and Green Party are looking to waste parliamentary time in the run up to the election banning something that doesn’t take place here when there are so many issues that deserve and require legislation.”

Thornton Stadium in Kirkcaldy, the only track in Scotland to have staged races in recent years, closed “until further notice” in March.

A law proposing to make dog theft a specific offence in Scotland has also received enthusiastic support from across the political spectrum – despite the fact it is already a crime.