Defra gets the message!!

JanetGeorge

JanetGeorge

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 June 2001
Messages
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Location
Shropshire/Worcs. borders
www.horseandhound.co.uk
Over the last however many years it has seemed like we were banging our heads against the proverbial brick wall - but it seems Defra was listening (a bit!)

See:

http://www.centralhorsenews.co.uk/i...fter-horse-meat-crisi&catid=16:news&Itemid=19

And - most important - Mr. Paterson appears to have taken on board concerns about abuse of the Tripartite agreement, which has allowed low value 'risky' horses into the UK from France (and further afield) and Ireland with no health checks!! :rolleyes:

I just hope I can get him to include an update to the 1990 Statutory Instrument No. 2627 - The Welfare of Horses at Markets (and other places of sale)Order 1990 - in his plans. After all, the low-end markets are where half these dodgy imports are shifted - and where the low-life dealers abound - and welfare is abysmal!
 
JanetGeorge said:
Over the last however many years it has seemed like we were banging our heads against the proverbial brick wall - but it seems Defra was listening (a bit!)

See:

http://www.centralhorsenews.co.uk/i...fter-horse-meat-crisi&catid=16:news&Itemid=19

And - most important - Mr. Paterson appears to have taken on board concerns about abuse of the Tripartite agreement, which has allowed low value 'risky' horses into the UK from France (and further afield) and Ireland with no health checks!! :rolleyes:

I just hope I can get him to include an update to the 1990 Statutory Instrument No. 2627 - The Welfare of Horses at Markets (and other places of sale)Order 1990 - in his plans. After all, the low-end markets are where half these dodgy imports are shifted - and where the low-life dealers abound - and welfare is abysmal!
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I saw this earlier - apply the existing laws in full & get NED working -I won't say again as it didn't work before.
 
Mrs. George,

I admire your hope, your optimism and your dreams. You've been at this for long enough to realise that Defra have no interest, what so ever, in the promotion of British farming, despite their claims to the contrary.

Just one short question; As we've been eating and enjoying the most excellent Italian Salami, for years, do you suppose that we've yet twigged that it contains horse, and donkey, and just about anything else, which has recently expired? How is it labelled? In short, it isn't.

Alec.
 
Alec Swan said:
Mrs. George,

I admire your hope, your optimism and your dreams. You've been at this for long enough to realise that Defra have no interest, what so ever, in the promotion of British farming, despite their claims to the contrary.

Just one short question; As we've been eating and enjoying the most excellent Italian Salami, for years, do you suppose that we've yet twigged that it contains horse, and donkey, and just about anything else, which has recently expired? How is it labelled? In short, it isn't.

Alec.
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lol, Alec - I've been at it long enough to know there isn't a functioning brain in Defra! BUT - remember - we have Owen Paterson as Secretary for State at Defra. He IS a horseman (with more than a small interest in hunting!) Now he knows there is a bit of a problem for the Conservatives in keeping the hunting lobby on-side - because they don't have the numbers to repeal the Hunting Act. Come the next election, though, they'll want us to turn out and help them with lobbying again. :rolleyes:

Most hunting people ARE horse people - if he does something for horses - and horse welfare - and the horse industry - that's a start! I wrote to him last week and did give him a little 'insight' into how he could improve Tory PR with the horse world! :D I DO think he's realised that standing up for British farmers, numerically small though that group is, WILL help with the wider population who are a bit cross to find out tey've been eating horse meat from God knows where!
 
"I've been at it long enough to know there isn't a functioning brain in Defra!"

Never a truer word was said!

I suspect a lot of the recent flooding can be blamed on DEFRA who pay farmers TWICE for maintaining ditches (Single Farm Payment + Management Contract) but then fail to enforce the rules because they do not have a clue about drainage!

Sorry to hijack the thread. Knee jerk reaction!:rolleyes:
 
Dry Rot said:
"I've been at it long enough to know there isn't a functioning brain in Defra!"

Never a truer word was said!

I suspect a lot of the recent flooding can be blamed on DEFRA who pay farmers TWICE for maintaining ditches (Single Farm Payment + Management Contract) but then fail to enforce the rules because they do not have a clue about drainage!

Sorry to hijack the thread. Knee jerk reaction!:rolleyes:
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Drainage started going to pot when they stopped dredging rivers. The river Ouse/Humber used to get done very regularly up as far as Selby. Now mud banks obstruct a lot of the river above Goole so there is increased flooding along the Derwent etc as there is no escape for the rainfall.
 
I think DEFRA should ask the French National Stud to run the database for them - France has a very efficient and useful one.

There is a precedent - EDF running the electricity; a French company contracted to perform disability assessments and it would appear that an awful lot of Brits are happy to buy micro-wave meals with horsemeat from French owned companies. (Try and buy any British foodstuff in a French supermarket and you will be charged a small fortune).
 
Rollin said:
I think DEFRA should ask the French National Stud to run the database for them - France has a very efficient and useful one.
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We've got plenty of organisations who would be perfectly capable of running an efficient database - Weatherbys, for one, who already do exactly that for the Thoroughbred population - IF it was funded appropriately and IF the wider framework was structured to enable them to do so.
 
BigBuck's said:
We've got plenty of organisations who would be perfectly capable of running an efficient database - Weatherbys, for one, who already do exactly that for the Thoroughbred population - IF it was funded appropriately and IF the wider framework was structured to enable them to do so.
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Weatherbys seemed to do a very good efficient job with the British Horse Database before; it would be relatively simple for them to oversee it again even if they didn't want to take it on themselves - but at least they already know what it takes to do it successfully unlike the botch that was NED.
 
Personally I think horses should have two passports one government passport linked to its microchip done within six months of birth for all Offical uses travel slaughter etc .
Then they could have breed society passports for those interested having all these different issuers and passport types is a recipe for disasterit just will never work.
Or the EU must standardise all passports so they are laid out exactly the same way no matter where it's from .
 
Goldenstar said:
Personally I think horses should have two passports one government passport linked to its microchip done within six months of birth for all Offical uses travel slaughter etc .
Then they could have breed society passports for those interested having all these different issuers and passport types is a recipe for disasterit just will never work.
Or the EU must standardise all passports so they are laid out exactly the same way no matter where it's from .
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I thought the EU had standard passport?

All member states should follow the French. Registration on the National Dbase is obligatory, without that you cannot compete or breed from your horse and obtain a pedigree passport.

All owners have a separate ownership document. A passport is not proof of ownership. When you buy or sell a horse, the ownership document is sent to the only PIO in France, HN, who issue a new paper.

So you cannot send a horse off to slaughter with just a passport.

When horses die, the vet, slaughter house, or knackerman inform the ONE pio HN and it is registered on the National Equine Database called SIRE.
 
DEFRA will not get anywhere with horse passports until they have active enforcement that is checking competitions and livery yards to make sure horse have passports with the change of ownership and if people fail to respond to the advice prosecute. The idea of dumping enforcement on LAs and giving them no money to do it will fail. Most other countries have no problems with the national database its is just DEFRA has failed twice so why should one think they can get it right a third time
 
Did anyone see the BBC 10 O'clock News? Confirmed that criminals have been shipping horses from Ireland to the UK to be slaughtered at the infamous Red Lion Slaughter house for the human food chain....

no coverage of the welfare issues at all or the fact that the Tripartite Agreement allows this criminal activity. BBC seemed to think it was entirely a issue for the Irish Authorities... wonder who fed them that line then? Surely not DEFRA....
 
sywell said:
DEFRA will not get anywhere with horse passports until they have active enforcement that is checking competitions and livery yards to make sure horse have passports with the change of ownership and if people fail to respond to the advice prosecute. The idea of dumping enforcement on LAs and giving them no money to do it will fail. Most other countries have no problems with the national database its is just DEFRA has failed twice so why should one think they can get it right a third time
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Last competition we went to in France, we were not allowed to unload until our passports had been checked, and m/chips read with reader. SIRE number is now required for Lab tests, that is dbase number,
 
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