Mare stolen Chipping Sodbury

[Sugarplum Furry]

Found this on BBC News:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7054204.stm

Appeal after thieves take horse
[image]
Police have appealed for information
A horse has been stolen from a stable in South Gloucestershire.

The four-year-old mare was taken sometime on Friday morning from the stable on Wapley Road in Chipping Sodbury.

She is 14.1 hands tall and has a distinguishing star on her forehead, police said.

The Horse Watch scheme has been informed by Avon and Somerset Police who appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

 

[lhotse]

Has been recovered in Ireland according to Evening Post

 

[spaniel]

brilliant, thanks!

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

that is worrying near to me, glad horse was found

 

[Sugarplum Furry]

I should probably start a seperate thread for this, and I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but anyway..

A couple of years ago I did a bit of research into horses being transported to Ireland, did you know that there are absolutely no checks done on horses going through the docks? I phoned and spoke to about 6 reputable horse transport companies and asked what the procedure is at the ferry ports with a horse lorry. The most they are asked to do, and then not always, is to produce horse passports, which aren't even opened. The passports are simply counted and then tallied with the number of horses inside the lorry. That's it, nothing more. Nobody looks at the horses, checks freezemarks or scans for microchips. In fact cattle are checked more thoroughly than horses, so why, if they have the staff in place to check other livestock, can't they check horses at the same time?

 

[DAHH]

Epsom
That is exactly the same as whenever I have gone to or from France. Never once has anyone actually examined the horses to check they are the animals on the passports. Frequently they don't even look in the lorry.I often think I could have 20 illegal immigrants in there and nobody would be any the wiser!!

 

[Sugarplum Furry]

Dahh, crazy isn't it?

It's such a massive loophole in the horse security net. I did speak to one ferry company which handles freight/livestock to Ireland. Although they were sympathetic they pointed out that it would be a logistical nightmare, and dangerous, to unload, assess, and then reload any number of equines at the dockside, especially as some of the sailings are at night.

There must be a solution....

 

[DAHH]

Epsom
Yes, it is completely crazy!
As for a solution, your guess is as good as mine.
Over here all horses must by law have microchips. If all horses being transported had to have chips, surely some way could be devised to scan them without unloading?

 

[JM07]

[ QUOTE ]

Over here all horses must by law have microchips.

[/ QUOTE ]

even the slaughter horses/ponies???

 

[DAHH]

Yes, by 31st dec 2007 every horse and donkey must be identified. This means having papers showing markings, origins if known and being microchiped.