- This topic has 7 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 6 months ago by
.
- Posts
Positive news on welfare – got a letter today from the Dept of Agriculture about an equine census, which will happen in November. We were issued with herd numbers several years ago, and it sounds as though we will now have similar to the cattle movement database. Good for all horses, not just TBs, and hopefully it will make all sorts of neglect that bit easier to resolve.
That sounds like a big positive Louise. From my reading, it sounds as if the census will be annual.
Just trying to understand how this would work using poor old Vyta Du Roc as an example. Would the records simply show that one year he was with Gordon Elliott, and the next year he wasn’t with anyone, rather than more specific detail on his fate?
Vyta Du Roc could still end up in a slaughter house, but there would be no ambiguity about where he went when he left training. It would be a legal requirement for Elliott to record where he sent him, and ditto the person after Elliott. The gap is what happens when a horse goes to the UK, unless they intend to cooperate/reciprocate. One assumes that there cannot be a UK slaughter loophole (this being partly driven by food chain concerns). In the current system (no system), younger horses never named, or not returned in training, are probably the most vulnerable to ‘commercial realities’, so this is better news for them. A record of them in specific premises will now be required, and the industry cannot pretend they never existed. Also, for IHRB inspections, officials really will know what horses they expect to find in a yard, and if one isn’t there, the yard is legally obliged to say where it has gone (and record that movement within 7 days). You can no longer just present x number of horses and say this is all we have, while the ones on steroids or eating their own legs are in a barn up the road.
Thanks for the detailed reply Louise, that all sounds better than I was expecting! Let’s hope the new arrangements are enforced properly.
Yes, Marlingford, full roll out/enforcement are still questions. The census is one thing, but recording movement is not yet in place (first quarter of 2022 is the plan, according to the letter). We shall see…
Census details arrived today. You have to record how many equines were on the premises on the night of 30th November, their passport numbers, and when they arrived (approximately). This has to be completed by 17th December. The follow-up is going to be interesting!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.