DEFRA made a bad decision - National Equestrian Database

PeterNatt said:
The equestrian industry is the second largest land based industry and worth 7 Billion pounds per year to the British economy. (Horse racing is only second to football). In view of the current food crisis the government should compel DEFRA to re-instate the funding for the National Equestrian Database without delay so that there is one national database for all horses which would ensure the improved tracebility of horses.
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Yes of course they should. They should also institute a single mirochipping/reading company and one passporting agency (whatever the breed societies say). And should make it possible for small slaughterhouses to operate locally, so that animals are not travelling more than about 50 miles to slaughter .
I haven't read the thread yet, so will be interested to see if any-one disagreees with OP.

This was an incident (?) waiting to happen, given all the circumstances
 
sussexbythesea said:
I don't see how this would stop horses from Romania being used to make lasagne in France especially if major crime is being committed?

Whilst I agree the system is poor and the database should have remained improving it would cost more. I think people have forgotten how much opposition there was to passporting and its costs.
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The biggest crime is that once again the UK have been screwed by the EU.

Whilst I agree NED should be brought back (as was the only useful thing to originally come out of passporting), it will not protect us from mislabled products.

Horse meat correctly sourced and processed is expensive compared to beef, so doubt any of the horses in the lasagna etc... had correct documentation.
 
skint1 said:
At the time I don't think NED was well received in the equestrian community, it's interesting how we've all come to embrace it, and the passports ( I love that horses over here have passports, so many of my US friends have no idea who their horses are, even the ex racers).
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I've never embraced Passports or NED. Both a total waste of money for the consumer. I got breeding papers with both of my ponies, didn't need to pay £30-50 to have them bound in a booklet.

The 'concept of NED' was a good one but only if ALL horses were microchipped, a central database was kept of which horses had been signed in or out of the food chain, and then if they arrived at a slaughterhouse, their details checked and they either be diverted to the human consumption area or not. Paperwork then not needed as easily forged. Any horse that didn't have a microchip automatically diverts to non-human consumption.

All other EU countries would need to comply.

Meat bought outside the EU should be stated on the packet 'non EU meat, no idea what's in it'
 
Maesfen said:
A friend was thinking of sending her old mare off but rang Turners to ask if the passport could be returned to her as it had some famous signatures in it she'd like to keep. She was told in no way was that possible, the passport had to be surrendered with the horse. Funnily enough, mare showed an improvement and is still here, 3 years later.
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We checked this with CBHS as we lost one of our mares on Christmas Day. The passport must be returned to the PIO, CHBS but once the horse is recorded as deceased and the passport amended, we can have it back if we wish.
 
Well, it looks like there might be one good side to this fiasco - sales of BRITISH meat will go up if the food companies stop buying cheap cr*p from the Continent. Already local butcher have queues out of the door.

It's about time we stop buying the rubbish produced abroad and realise that our own produce is far better quality.
 
Shysmum said:
The whole passport fiasco has been a disgrace ! There are those of us who have played along, doing everything right..........and then far more who haven't bothered.

I drive though Bishop Aukland, near Darlington occasionally, and if a single one of the thousands of coloured cobs on the wasteland there has a passport, I'll knock myself out. Or perhaps they all share a few dodgy ones ? And where on earth are these ponies going to end up ?

Who was actually checking up on passports anyway ? No-one. Why did I pay out all that money to get a passport from a Gypsy Cob Society that then disappeared, and now (if i could be bothered) have to get re-done.
.
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Shysmum--the ''big'' dealer at Bishop Auckland usually sells 100 cobs, mainly mares and well grown foals, at Kirkby Stephen September sale and yes every single one has a passport. He is very ''on the ball'' including NOT being registered for VAT!!!!!!!!!!

The Lipizzaner National Studbook of UK now update Gypsy Cob passports
Lynn Moran
(Secretary)
Cilyblaidd Manor,
Pencarreg,
Nr Lampeter,
Carmarthenshire
SA40 9QL
℡ 01570 480090 / 0870 9089080
�� 01570 480012
@ info@lipizzaner.org.uk
www.lipizzaner.org.uk
 
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Well we knew that was coming surely? Iceberg. Tip. Springs to mind... I'm still waiting for dog DNA to turn up in something....
 
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