Labour's Glenis Willmott is demanding stronger action across Europe to put a stop to suffering caused to horses when being transported across the continent.

Glenis Willmott said.  “Despite new rules which came into force in 2007, there is evidence from organisations such as “World Horse Welfare” that these rules are not being enforced as they should be.    They describe, for example, how horses are packed into overstocked lorries in temperatures which can range from 40 degrees down to as low as minus 30.”

She has signed up to a Written Declaration in the European Parliament, and will be writing to the new European Commission as soon as it is selected.

She explained. “We have the rules in place to protect horses from the worst abuses, but due to weak enforcement by some Member States, the unacceptable suffering of animals continues.   So first of all we want the existing rules to be robustly enforced.”

“In addition, the revision of the Animal Transport regulation will give us another opportunity to see where further changes can be made to alleviate the suffering caused by the live transport of horses. I will be stressing to the European Commission the importance of pushing forward with the revision of the current rules.”

“There have been improvements in the treatment of horses, as a result of being able to take action across national borders.  We couldn’t have achieved this without the European Union.  But the Commission and the Member States need to do more to eliminate cruel treatment entirely.”

23 November 2009

Further information

The EU Regulation on protection of animals during transport includes; ensuring that horses travel in individual stalls on the lorry, that they are strictly vetted for fitness to travel, and that lorries stop as required to feed, water and rest the horses off the vehicle.  Full details at http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2005/l_003/l_00320050105en00010044.pdf 

World Horse Welfare  www.worldhorsewelfare.org/