David Heath MP
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food
DEFRA
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
LONDON 
SW1P 3JR

21^st December 2012 

Dear David,

I am writing with regard to horse welfare and your Department’s response to the particular risks faced by horses this winter, at a time when horse welfare charities with limited resources struggle to cope with the increasing numbers of horses that need rescuing. A number of my constituents have contacted me about this recently.

As Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Animal Welfare, I share the concerns of my constituents and urge you to respond with the utmost seriousness.   

You will know that horse welfare charities are warning of an impending crisis this winter with 2,800 horses already in charity centres, and another 6,000 horses at risk. This situation has led to warnings that local authorities could even be forced to cull horses.

This would be a tragic outcome that I am sure we all want to avoid.

I am glad that you are aware of the problems highlighted in the report “Left on the Verge”, as set out in your answer to a parliamentary question on 27 Nov 2012, Column 306W.

I would be grateful if you could provide an update on your Department’s progress.

I would also like to draw your attention to the potential solutions being put forward by equine charities including World Horse Welfare, the RSPCA, Redwings, The Blue Cross, The British Horse Society and HorseWorld and urge you to accept their recommendations, as follows:

• Improving equine identification to ensure that the owners of fly grazing or abandoned horses can be identified (I note your answer to the parliamentary question of 31^st October, on the abolition of the National Equine Database and would be interested to hear if you are considering alternative solutions, or indeed if Lord De Mauley has made further progress on this matter);
• Criminal legislation to deal with fly grazing, alongside help and guidance for land-owners who have horses placed on their land without permission;
• Better coordination between enforcement agencies, sharing of best practice, and support for local authorities;
• A review of the Tripartite Agreement;
• Strong guidance for potential horse breeders in an effort to reduce the breeding of poor quality horses with limited future prospects - these horses are at high risk of becoming welfare cases.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely, 

Caroline Lucas MP, Brighton Pavilion