Proposals to tackle fly grazing in Wales
The Welsh government has announced plans to introduce new laws to tackle fly grazing, a move which has been welcomed by leading horse charities.
Welsh minister Alun Davies announced the plans on July 17, whilst outlining some of the major issues surrounding fly grazing - such as, problems with identifying owners, length of time to prosecute and financial costs.
In a written statement, Mr Davies said current laws are no longer sufficient to deal with the problem of fly grazing. New legislation will be considered and an action plan on tackling the problem is to be published in autumn 2013.
The news follows a recent report published by six leading equine charities, which highlights that 7,000 horses are at risk of needing rescue in England and Wales.
Equine rehoming and rescue organisations warn that should there be another harsh winter, they will be unable to cope with the number of animals needing their help.
Charities behind the report have broadly welcomed proposals by the Welsh government, but are calling for action to be taken in the rest of the UK.
World Horse Welfare chief executive, Roly Owers, said: "What we need is better legislation and enforcement to hold irresponsible owners to account and more support for local authorities to deal with the numbers of horses left to breed, graze, suffer and often die on other peoples' land.
"If Wales takes action and the rest of the UK does not, the problem will simply move over the border. We need a joined-up approach."
Click here to read the full statement from Alun Davies.
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
