UK Government urged to lend its support
A leading equine charity is calling on the UK government to help stop long-distance transport of horses across Europe to slaughter.
World Horse Welfare is garnering public support as they lobby the UK government to review the Animal Transport Regulation.
The organisation say that while several EU member states already back a change, the UK is yet to give its support.
“While the UK can still influence laws in Europe that affect the welfare of millions of animals including tens of thousands of horses, it should use this opportunity to live up to its values and call for changes to this outdated legislation,” said World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers.
He adds: “The rules now cause immense agony and do not reflect current scientific evidence which shows that horse health and welfare deteriorate on long journeys, especially in poor conditions.
“Now is the time for our supporters and all those who care about horses to put their emotion into action and write to our Government now while they can still make a real difference.”
The current regulation governs the transport of 1 billion poultry and 37 million pigs, cattle, goats, sheep and equines who are all transported live within and outside Europe each year to slaughter.
World Horse Welfare believe that a revision of the transport regulation could reduce maximum journey times and improve the quality of transport for animals going to slaughter.
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.
