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News & Reports national equine forum
THE importance of everyone involved in the equine industry taking responsibility for the future health and welfare of all horses was emphasised by speakers at this year’s National Equine Forum, held in London on March 6. More than 200 people from the industry attended the forum, where issues covered included the problem of unnecessary breeding, the treatment of unwanted horses, the development of a workable equine identification system and a central database, and responsible ownership. Alick Simmons, deputy Chief Veterinary Officer at Defra, spoke at the forum on behalf of Owen Paterson, the Secretary of State, who was speaking in parliament on the subject of the winter floods. Mr Simmons gave Defra’s view of a number of equestrian issues, including disease control and horse passports. He indicated that two equine diseases – equine viral arteritis (EVA) and contagious equine metritis (CEM) – could have their notifiable disease status removed in the future. This, he said, would bring the UK in line with most other EU member states. He also reported that a revised tripartite agreement would come into force in May
Photographs: Craig Payne/NEF
Collective responsibility key in ensuring equine health and welfare
Alick Simmons – removing the notifiable status of equine viral arteritis and contagious equine metritis would bring the UK in line with most of Europe
this year. The revised agreement – covering the movement of Equidae between the UK, Ireland and France – changed the eligibility criteria for movements of high health status horses between the UK and France and between France and Ireland. This meant that
certain classes of horses could continue to move freely, while the movement of others would be more tightly regulated. It was, he said, ‘an excellent example of working together to safeguard animal health’. Discussing horse passports, Mr Simmons reported that a set of minimum operating standards for passport issuing organisations were now in place, particularly to make passports more difficult to tamper with. In terms of any new equine identification legislation, he told delegates: ‘Inevitably it won’t just be what the Government does, but what you can do as well.’ Another issue discussed by Mr Simmons was fly grazing. He said that the root cause of the problem needed to be tackled and that police, local authorities and charities should work together to target perpetrators under the Animal Welfare Act and the forthcoming Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act. Roly Owers, chief executive of World Horse Welfare, highlighted the charity’s campaign on responsible breeding and horse ownership, saying: ‘Our aim must be to reduce the number of horses bred, and
Infectious diseases group recognised for its research The Animal Health Trust (AHT) Infectious Disease Group received this year’s Sir Colin Spedding Award at the National Equine Forum (NEF). The award recognised the AHT’s work on disease research, surveillance and management in protecting and safeguarding the future of the UK’s equine population. It was presented to Andrew Waller, head of bacteriology, by the NEF’s patron, HRH The Princess Royal. Tim Brigstocke, chairman of the NEF, said the forum was proud to recognise the members of the AHT’s Infectious Disease Group: ‘Equine disease poses a growing threat to all of our horses, which makes the work of the AHT group ever more important,’ he said. ‘Hence we wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you.’ In accepting the award, Dr Waller noted that the group had made a number of significant breakthroughs in the diagnosis, surveillance, containment
regularly provide advice to the UK equine industry on the threats posed from exotic equine disease. Our work has considerably improved the health and welfare of horses internationally and we are grateful that the National Equine Forum has acknowledged the important role we play in protecting horses from infectious disease.’ The Sir Colin Spedding Award was instigated last year. A bronze sculpture of a HRH The Princess Royal presents the Sir Colin Spedding award stag beetle, it was originally to to Andrew Waller of the Animal Health Trust have been awarded to the late Professor Spedding himself in recognition of his services to the and treatment of a number of equine equine sector – most especially for his ‘nasties’ commonly seen in the UK, commitment in founding the forum and including equine influenza, strangles and serving as its chairman for 19 years. Last equine herpesvirus. He continued: ‘We year’s recipient was Martin Clunes. March 29, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 315
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News & Reports improve the quality of horses bred, and so diminish the number of horses in a perilous situation. We all have a responsibility to rise to the challenge.’ A reduction in breeding within the thoroughbred and sport horse sectors reflected the economic situation, said Mr Owers. However, this reduction had not been mirrored at the lower end of the market, where there were estimated to be 7000 unwanted horses with a lack of good homes for them. The horse rescue charities were in crisis, he said, having taken in many more horses during 2013 than in previous years. Nicolas de Brauwere, head of welfare and behaviour at Redwings Horse Sanctuary, described the horse welfare charities as being at the sharp end of welfare, tidying up ‘problem horses’ on behalf of irresponsible owners. He called for owners to be more responsible, not only with breeding, but equally when buying, selling, training, riding and generally caring for their horses, saying that owners should address any problems rather than simply move on to another horse. ‘With freedom comes responsibility,’ he said. Stephen Potter, a partner in LJ Potter, a horse abattoir, discussed the role of the horsemeat industry in the UK. In his opinion, too many horses were signed out of the food chain. A review of current
316 | Veterinary Record | March 29, 2014
Joint resource for vets and farriers An interactive website dedicated to the hoof and the horse was launched at the National Equine Forum. The website – www.e-hoof.com – aims to offer a shared source of information to create a platform of knowledge for both veterinarians and farriers. The website, which will be available from April, has been developed by the University of Zurich and the Swiss Metal Union with the help of vets and farriers across Europe. It is based on the syllabuses used in the teaching of farriers and vets, and presents more
drug control legislation, which requires permanent exclusion from the food chain without, he believed, good scientific reason, could increase the value of unwanted horses. Giving such animals a value could, in turn, significantly improve their welfare, he suggested. Reiterating the need for a workable equine identification system, Jan Rogers, head of equine development at the British Equestrian Federation, outlined initial plans for a central equine information system to provide a robust, coordinated facility for the industry. The industry needed a database
than 100 chapters divided into four main themes – hippology, anatomy, horseshoeing and disorders of the hoof. The website contains 3000 pictures, 50 interactive figures, 200 educational videos, a comprehensive atlas of anatomy and 3D models of the distal limb and hoof. There is also a glossary in eight languages, containing more than 1000 terms relating to the horse, the hoof and horseshoeing. The website will be available on subscription to individuals, colleges and groups.
that users could have confidence in, she said, otherwise compliance would be poor. ‘We have learned a great deal from previous databases and there are things we can improve upon. We need to get the system right for all users, from enforcers to passport issuing organisations to horse owners.’ During the meeting it was noted that the equine industry is believed to be worth around £7 billion; however, with horse identification in chaos, nobody knew how many horses there were in the UK or where they were. doi: 10.1136/vr.g2328
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Collective responsibility key in ensuring equine health and welfare Veterinary Record 2014 174: 315-316
doi: 10.1136/vr.g2328 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/13/315
These include:
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Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
News & Reports national equine forum
THE importance of everyone involved in the equine industry taking responsibility for the future health and welfare of all horses was emphasised by speakers at this year’s National Equine Forum, held in London on March 6. More than 200 people from the industry attended the forum, where issues covered included the problem of unnecessary breeding, the treatment of unwanted horses, the development of a workable equine identification system and a central database, and responsible ownership. Alick Simmons, deputy Chief Veterinary Officer at Defra, spoke at the forum on behalf of Owen Paterson, the Secretary of State, who was speaking in parliament on the subject of the winter floods. Mr Simmons gave Defra’s view of a number of equestrian issues, including disease control and horse passports. He indicated that two equine diseases – equine viral arteritis (EVA) and contagious equine metritis (CEM) – could have their notifiable disease status removed in the future. This, he said, would bring the UK in line with most other EU member states. He also reported that a revised tripartite agreement would come into force in May
Photographs: Craig Payne/NEF
Collective responsibility key in ensuring equine health and welfare
Alick Simmons – removing the notifiable status of equine viral arteritis and contagious equine metritis would bring the UK in line with most of Europe
this year. The revised agreement – covering the movement of Equidae between the UK, Ireland and France – changed the eligibility criteria for movements of high health status horses between the UK and France and between France and Ireland. This meant that
certain classes of horses could continue to move freely, while the movement of others would be more tightly regulated. It was, he said, ‘an excellent example of working together to safeguard animal health’. Discussing horse passports, Mr Simmons reported that a set of minimum operating standards for passport issuing organisations were now in place, particularly to make passports more difficult to tamper with. In terms of any new equine identification legislation, he told delegates: ‘Inevitably it won’t just be what the Government does, but what you can do as well.’ Another issue discussed by Mr Simmons was fly grazing. He said that the root cause of the problem needed to be tackled and that police, local authorities and charities should work together to target perpetrators under the Animal Welfare Act and the forthcoming Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act. Roly Owers, chief executive of World Horse Welfare, highlighted the charity’s campaign on responsible breeding and horse ownership, saying: ‘Our aim must be to reduce the number of horses bred, and
Infectious diseases group recognised for its research The Animal Health Trust (AHT) Infectious Disease Group received this year’s Sir Colin Spedding Award at the National Equine Forum (NEF). The award recognised the AHT’s work on disease research, surveillance and management in protecting and safeguarding the future of the UK’s equine population. It was presented to Andrew Waller, head of bacteriology, by the NEF’s patron, HRH The Princess Royal. Tim Brigstocke, chairman of the NEF, said the forum was proud to recognise the members of the AHT’s Infectious Disease Group: ‘Equine disease poses a growing threat to all of our horses, which makes the work of the AHT group ever more important,’ he said. ‘Hence we wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you.’ In accepting the award, Dr Waller noted that the group had made a number of significant breakthroughs in the diagnosis, surveillance, containment
regularly provide advice to the UK equine industry on the threats posed from exotic equine disease. Our work has considerably improved the health and welfare of horses internationally and we are grateful that the National Equine Forum has acknowledged the important role we play in protecting horses from infectious disease.’ The Sir Colin Spedding Award was instigated last year. A bronze sculpture of a HRH The Princess Royal presents the Sir Colin Spedding award stag beetle, it was originally to to Andrew Waller of the Animal Health Trust have been awarded to the late Professor Spedding himself in recognition of his services to the and treatment of a number of equine equine sector – most especially for his ‘nasties’ commonly seen in the UK, commitment in founding the forum and including equine influenza, strangles and serving as its chairman for 19 years. Last equine herpesvirus. He continued: ‘We year’s recipient was Martin Clunes. March 29, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 315
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on June 26, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
News & Reports improve the quality of horses bred, and so diminish the number of horses in a perilous situation. We all have a responsibility to rise to the challenge.’ A reduction in breeding within the thoroughbred and sport horse sectors reflected the economic situation, said Mr Owers. However, this reduction had not been mirrored at the lower end of the market, where there were estimated to be 7000 unwanted horses with a lack of good homes for them. The horse rescue charities were in crisis, he said, having taken in many more horses during 2013 than in previous years. Nicolas de Brauwere, head of welfare and behaviour at Redwings Horse Sanctuary, described the horse welfare charities as being at the sharp end of welfare, tidying up ‘problem horses’ on behalf of irresponsible owners. He called for owners to be more responsible, not only with breeding, but equally when buying, selling, training, riding and generally caring for their horses, saying that owners should address any problems rather than simply move on to another horse. ‘With freedom comes responsibility,’ he said. Stephen Potter, a partner in LJ Potter, a horse abattoir, discussed the role of the horsemeat industry in the UK. In his opinion, too many horses were signed out of the food chain. A review of current
316 | Veterinary Record | March 29, 2014
Joint resource for vets and farriers An interactive website dedicated to the hoof and the horse was launched at the National Equine Forum. The website – www.e-hoof.com – aims to offer a shared source of information to create a platform of knowledge for both veterinarians and farriers. The website, which will be available from April, has been developed by the University of Zurich and the Swiss Metal Union with the help of vets and farriers across Europe. It is based on the syllabuses used in the teaching of farriers and vets, and presents more
drug control legislation, which requires permanent exclusion from the food chain without, he believed, good scientific reason, could increase the value of unwanted horses. Giving such animals a value could, in turn, significantly improve their welfare, he suggested. Reiterating the need for a workable equine identification system, Jan Rogers, head of equine development at the British Equestrian Federation, outlined initial plans for a central equine information system to provide a robust, coordinated facility for the industry. The industry needed a database
than 100 chapters divided into four main themes – hippology, anatomy, horseshoeing and disorders of the hoof. The website contains 3000 pictures, 50 interactive figures, 200 educational videos, a comprehensive atlas of anatomy and 3D models of the distal limb and hoof. There is also a glossary in eight languages, containing more than 1000 terms relating to the horse, the hoof and horseshoeing. The website will be available on subscription to individuals, colleges and groups.
that users could have confidence in, she said, otherwise compliance would be poor. ‘We have learned a great deal from previous databases and there are things we can improve upon. We need to get the system right for all users, from enforcers to passport issuing organisations to horse owners.’ During the meeting it was noted that the equine industry is believed to be worth around £7 billion; however, with horse identification in chaos, nobody knew how many horses there were in the UK or where they were. doi: 10.1136/vr.g2328
Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on June 26, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com
Collective responsibility key in ensuring equine health and welfare Veterinary Record 2014 174: 315-316
doi: 10.1136/vr.g2328 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/13/315
These include:
Email alerting service
Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article. Sign up in the box at the top right corner of the online article.
Notes
To request permissions go to: http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions To order reprints go to: http://journals.bmj.com/cgi/reprintform To subscribe to BMJ go to: http://group.bmj.com/subscribe/
