Pony Exports For Horse Meat Trade Can And Must Be Stopped, Says Huhne

5.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 15th Mar 2004

Chris Huhne MEP Campaigns Against Live Pony Exports to the Continent

Britain must find a way of saving ponies from the knackers' yards of continental horse meat traders, according to Hampshire MEP Chris Huhne.

Mr Huhne made the plea after moves in Brussels to end the existing arrangements, which stop the export of horses unless they reach a minimum value that exceeds the price for meat. There will be a key vote in the European Parliament agriculture committee tomorrow (Tuesday 16th March) and then in plenary session at the end of March.

'The problem is that the last Conservative government gave up a special exemption for Britain when it agreed an updating of the Animal

Transportation directive in 1995, and the pressure is now on to allow free trade in horsemeat' said Mr Huhne.

'It would be a disaster if hundreds of New Forest ponies and much loved family ponies were herded off on long and cruel journeys just because some continental meat trader thought he could make a quick profit' said Mr Huhne. 'The legislation has to recognise that horses and ponies are regarded in the same light in Britain as family pets, and are not just another farm animal to be sold to the knackers' yard'.

Mr Huhne said that there were several possible courses of action to stop the trade. Either the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) should negotiate a new exemption, or it could achieve the same result in another way such as a ban on the transport of unbroken ponies, on the grounds that this would be too stressful. Alternatively, there could be an insistence of high standards of separation for sea crossings that would add so much to costs that the trade would be unprofitable.

'The British civil servant can be a bureaucratic nincompoop bar none when he or she puts their mind to really difficult red tape, and this is a case where red tape would be welcome' said Mr Huhne.

Notes to editors:

The Commission's proposal 'EU Regulation on the Protection of Animals During Transport' aims to improve animal welfare during transport by introducing welfare standards that will be enforced uniformly across all Member States. However, the current text would mean an end to the UK restrictions on exporting British horses and ponies for slaughter.

The Agricultural Committee which leads on this issue will be voting on the Commission's proposal and amendments tomorrow (Tuesday 16th March).

The agreed Report will then be voted on in the plenary session - the week commencing 29th March.

There is currently an "indirect ban" in the UK for the export of horse/ponies for slaughter, which has been in place for 45 years for ponies and longer for horses, following the introduction of the principle of "Minimum Values" legislation within the Exportation of Horses Act in 1937.

As the 'Minimum Value' is set just above the meat value for horses, ponies and donkeys, if their value is below that figure then it is presumed that they are going for slaughter and they will not be granted an export license.

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