Animal disease control levy may fall on UK horse owners

[fusaberry]

HI,
I don't know if anyone read the farmers guardian on 5th June , page 23.
The basics are that we as UK horse owners may have to pay a levy, not only for disease control, but also a compulsory insurance.It appears a bit up in the air however the consultation ends on the 30th June,any views must be lodged by then,
And so yet again we appear to be kept in the dark and just be expected to fork out even more money when someone puts there hand out for it.
I cannot find the article on www.farmersguardian.com,
however the proposal document is available on the defra website at
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/new-independent-body-ah/brief-descript-proposals.pdf
I know we all do our best for our horses and expect to pay money out ,
Bt what about all the unregistered horses like the travellers and gypsies, dealers and people who do not change passport details to their own,
will it be a case that just us honest one or two horse owners be the ones who are made to pay yet again for not only us but for the non payers again?
If anyone cannot get the article / document let me know and I will try and write it out word for word from the FG

 

[popsdosh]

To be honest I farm a large number of cattle and this is being forced on us so I dont see why the horse owners should not pay for this disease surveilance etc.we are all in the same boat and to be fair people who own cats & dogs should have to cough up for rabies protection as well.
I know this wont be a popular view but think of the consequences if all import and surveilance controls are dropped you may think this doesnt apply to horses but there are some pretty nasty diseases that would be endemic in this country if it wasnt for the controls.
Everybody in farming would rather it stayed as it is wholly funded by the tax payer as it is as much a public issue as an industry problem but heyho the government dont see it this way.

 

[Rollin]

I think public liability insurance for horse riders should be compulsory as it is in France.

However, as far as the cost of disease surv. is concerned I am back on my old hobby horse. DEFRA should emulate the French National Stud, who issue passports for non-pedigree horses for 28 euros. charge 45 euros for full 'pedigree' passports and charge a wapping 120 euros to overstamp the EU passport of a horse imported from another member state.

As disease is most likely to come in via an imported horse, DEFRA would be quite within their rights to charge to £120 to register all these horses on NED, then they could put this money into a pot to deal with possible epidemic.

 

[Shilasdair]

One way to make the UK herd much safer from diseases such as equine infectious anaemia, would be to review the Tripartite Agreement between the UK, France and Ireland, to make it a requirement to have horses tested before they are ex/imported.
At the moment, any dealer can buy an EIA horse, bring it across, turn it out in the field next to yours. Your horse will then have to be put down, as EIA is incurable, and you will be given £1 (yes, £1) as compensation.
S

 

[AmyMay]

If Defra actually pulled their finger out of their A*se and put compulsory health certification on all equades entering the country - then this levy would not be needed.

Sure, insist that everyone has public liability insurance - but we have an organisation that are supposed to be in charge of disease control. It's called Defra.