Radical overhaul looms for UK horse passport system

A major overhaul of Britain’s Equus caballus passport scheme is coming inwards the wake of the horse-meat contamination scandal.

The charity World Horse Welfare reports that Britain’s province agricultural agency, Defra, has agreed to what it called a radical overhaul of the system.

In major developments agreed with the authorities tardily final week, representatives from across the Equus caballus sector welcomed a commitment from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food together with Rural Affairs, Owen Paterson, on several measures to assist protect the nutrient chain together with supply greater protection for horses.

Representatives from the Equine Sector Council for Health together with Welfare, which includes alongside its members the British Equestrian Federation, the Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Local Government Trading Standards, the British Equine Veterinary Association together with Equus caballus welfare charities, including World Horse Welfare, attended the urgent coming together called past times Paterson.

Participants agreed on the need to overhaul the scheme for equine identification, to conduct keep steps to trammel unnecessary movements of horses across borders together with better traceability inwards the calorie-free of the Equus caballus heart together with person crisis.

Defra Minister Lord de Mauley together with other senior Defra officials were likewise introduce at the 90-minute meeting, where a radical overhaul of the nation’s Equus caballus passport scheme was agreed to ensure that the rising number of horses slaughtered inwards Britain for human consumption were indeed prophylactic to eat, later on the recent Defra-imposed requirement for the testing all equine carcasses ends.

Random tests conducted inwards recent years showed that two per cent to five per cent of Equus caballus carcasses tested positive for the drug phenylbutazone, a drug that is banned from entering the human nutrient chain.

“We are real encouraged that Defra conduct keep recognised the inherent weaknesses of the electrical flow passport scheme together with past times their open-minded approach to exploring practical solutions,” said Jeanette Allen, chairwoman of the Steering Group of the Equine Sector Council for Health & Welfare.

“We need to seize this 2nd to implement radical changes to the whole scheme of equine identification inwards the United Kingdom of Great Britain together with Northern Ireland of Britain together with Northern Republic of Ireland that is both proportionate together with slowly to enforce.”

Under European Union law, all horses must live on issued with passports which tape whether they conduct keep received medication which would brand them dangerous to eat. However, at that spot has been mounting bear witness that Britain’s electrical flow unwieldy passport system, with to a greater extent than than 75 authorised issuing organisations providing varying standards of documentation, was easily opened upwards to fraud together with abuse.

Veterinarian David Mountford said: “For the scheme to work, it must conduct keep the understanding together with confidence of Equus caballus owners, veterinarians together with the full general public.

“We need to alter the system, exactly nosotros likewise need to re-establish its integrity with greater compliance together with appropriate enforcement.”

As at that spot is piffling range to alter the European Union rule requiring Equus caballus passports soon, all parties agreed the focus must live on on changes to its implementation to deliver the widest possible create goodness to the equine sector.

This volition live on an enormous chore every bit it volition require fundamental behavior alter alongside the country’s 500,000 Equus caballus owners every bit good every bit for local authorities, veterinary surgeons together with dozens of Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs). It was agreed to jointly educate proposals over the adjacent half dozen months for rapid implementation.

A reinvigorated fundamental database of all horses inwards the United Kingdom of Great Britain together with Northern Ireland of Britain together with Northern Republic of Ireland was likewise agreed every bit a necessity for whatever effective scheme of Equus caballus identification to work.

Andrew Finding, of the British Equestrian Federation, the national governing torso for equestrian sport, said: “The need for the United Kingdom of Great Britain together with Northern Ireland of Britain together with Northern Republic of Ireland to conduct keep 1 fundamental database where horses tin live on identified together with located is immensely of import to the equine manufacture which contributes £7 billion per twelvemonth to the economy.

“I am pleased the Government agrees that an effective information technology scheme is necessary to underpin a to a greater extent than effective passport system.”

In a farther evolution that could protect the welfare of thousands of vulnerable horses each year, Paterson agreed to ministerial back upwards for negotiations to amend the Tripartite Agreement which permits the costless drive of horses without wellness certification betwixt the UK, Republic of Ireland together with France.

Since the agreement, which originally applied solely to sport horses, was extended to encompass all horses inwards 2005, movements of lower value horses together with ponies betwixt the 3 countries increased dramatically.

This created a number of welfare problems for the vulnerable horses existence transported, opened the door to infectious illness together with appeared to brand Equus caballus trading an attractive encompass for criminal activity.

The sector council had been pressing for the understanding to revert to its master range to apply solely to racing, thoroughbred breeding together with elite sport horses – a seat the Government supports.

Roly Owers, of World Horse Welfare, a charity that had long pressed for restrictions to the understanding extended inwards 2005, called the hope of ministerial interest “proportionate to the adventure this electrical flow free-for-all poses to Equus caballus welfare together with health, together with volition no incertitude take the attraction of Equus caballus dealing to criminals”.

“There is no create goodness to this destructive, reckless trade, together with and then much protection nosotros should live on offering to these hapless horses.”

 

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