1 February 2013
I recently met with World Horse Welfare’s chief executive, Roly Owers to discuss the emerging horse crisis in England and Wales – and the terrible welfare abuses of the horse slaughter trade.
In what they are calling an emerging ‘horse crisis’, Britain’s major welfare charities have identified 6,000 horses at risk of needing to be rescued or given new homes in England and Wales this year - taking in even a fraction of these would overwhelm charity resources.
The drop in horse sales prices combined with indiscriminate overbreeding has led to greater numbers of horses not getting the care they need, being fly grazed or tethered, or taken to the slaughterhouse. Government figures show that around 5,100 were slaughtered in the UK in 2009 rising to more than 9,400 in 2012.
That is why I am supporting World Horse Welfare in their campaign for better horse welfare.
When you understand the tragedy behind horse meat, there is very little to laugh about. We have good laws that protect the welfare of animals at slaughter and we need these properly enforced – CCTV can help with that. But clearly people have to take responsibility for their animals, especially such powerful, intelligent and long-living animals as horses. It is unacceptable that people can breed them or buy them and then not care for them. We need tougher laws to address fly grazing and an enforceable way to link a horse to its owner.
| Wayland News
In what they are calling an emerging ‘horse crisis’, Britain’s major welfare charities have identified 6,000 horses at risk of needing to be rescued or given new homes in England and Wales this year - taking in even a fraction of these would overwhelm charity resources.
The drop in horse sales prices combined with indiscriminate overbreeding has led to greater numbers of horses not getting the care they need, being fly grazed or tethered, or taken to the slaughterhouse. Government figures show that around 5,100 were slaughtered in the UK in 2009 rising to more than 9,400 in 2012.
That is why I am supporting World Horse Welfare in their campaign for better horse welfare.
When you understand the tragedy behind horse meat, there is very little to laugh about. We have good laws that protect the welfare of animals at slaughter and we need these properly enforced – CCTV can help with that. But clearly people have to take responsibility for their animals, especially such powerful, intelligent and long-living animals as horses. It is unacceptable that people can breed them or buy them and then not care for them. We need tougher laws to address fly grazing and an enforceable way to link a horse to its owner.
| Wayland News
