Welfare during transport

Welfare during transport

Campaign for improvements in transport.

Campaign for improvements in transport.

Horses stand apart from other livestock species as they are transported for a range of reasons from breeding to slaughter, from leisure to competition. This creates additional challenges when improving the transport regime for horses.  Following the UK Government’s “Call for evidence” on Welfare during Transport in 2018, we identified the following areas we want to see improved to protect the welfare of all horses during transport:

  • Journey times for equidae going to slaughter – equidae should be slaughtered as close to point of origin as possible and we would advocate that a 9-12 hour finite journey limit is introduced. 
  • Removing the derogation for ‘registered’ horses – only high health/performance horses should be derogated provided that there are additional protections by the relevant industry regulatory bodies 
  • Horses must be fit to undertake the intended journey 
  • Driver competence assessed- driver’s ability will affect the movement of the vehicle and consequent balance ability of the transported animals, in particular during acceleration, braking, cornering and any other difficult manoeuvres. 
  • Vehicle type and construction meeting agreed industry standards– the vehicle must meet the required specifications for the journey   
  • Compliance and enforcement prioritised – non-compliance of EC 1/2005 is a direct contributing factor to poor welfare of horses during transportation. 
  • Watering, feeding intervals and rest periods to be made mandatory

Please check back regularly on how you can Campaign with us and help improve the welfare of horses around the world.  

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