Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton (Conservative), on Thursday, 6 February 2003, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 49 members in total.

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PASSPORTS FOR HORSES

That this House notes that the Government is pressing ahead with its plans for compulsory passports for all horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, zebra and other equidae even though this will add to the cost and bureaucracy of owning a horse, without improving animal welfare; notes that passports, including vets fees, would cost up to ??100 and that owners without passports will be liable to fines of ??5,000 or six months in prison; further notes that passports are only necessary because of continental european concerns about equine drugs entering the human food chain and despairs that the Government failed to oppose the EU decision and then gold plated it; further notes that the consultation process carried out by the Government was flawed and that many owners of the UK's 850,000 horses are unaware of the Government's draconian plans; and calls on the Government to introduce a voluntary scheme where only horses destined for the human food chain require passports or, better still seek a derogation from the EU decision on the basis that very few British horses enter the human food chain and that the British do not eat horsemeat.

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Secondary information

Type

Early day motion

Reference

680 

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Animals Drugs Horses EU action Meat Travel

Link

View this Early day motion on www.parliament.uk