Asked by: Luke Hall (Conservative - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department are taking are to encourage local authorities to appoint animal welfare inspectors.
Answered by David Rutley
Defra does not hold records of how many local authorities have not appointed or trained inspectors to enforce equine welfare issues.
Local authorities are required to enforce The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 which includes the licensing of businesses that hire out horses for riding or instruction in riding and which requires inspectors to be suitably qualified. We would expect most local authorities, therefore, to have inspectors trained in enforcing equine welfare more generally.
Asked by: Luke Hall (Conservative - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on how many local authorities have not appointed animal welfare inspectors with training to enforce the Animal Welfare Act 2006 with respect to equine welfare.
Answered by David Rutley
Defra does not hold records of how many local authorities have not appointed or trained inspectors to enforce equine welfare issues.
Local authorities are required to enforce The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 which includes the licensing of businesses that hire out horses for riding or instruction in riding and which requires inspectors to be suitably qualified. We would expect most local authorities, therefore, to have inspectors trained in enforcing equine welfare more generally.
Asked by: Luke Hall (Conservative - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on the tethering of horses.
Answered by David Rutley
Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act), it is an offence to fail to provide for an animal’s welfare or to cause it any unnecessary suffering. The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids (the Code). The Code provides owners and keepers with information on how to meet the welfare needs of their horses and includes a specific section on how to tether a horse. Local authorities have powers under the 2006 Act to investigate allegations of cruelty or poor welfare. In addition, welfare organisations such as the RPSCA and World Horse Welfare (WHW) may also investigate such matters. If anyone is concerned about the way a horse has been tethered, they should report the matter either to the relevant local authority, or to the RSPCA or WHW who can investigate. If a horse is found not to be tethered appropriately, it could lead to a prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. I therefore consider that there is legislation and guidance in place in respect of tethering of horses.