PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
HORSE PASSPORTS (2 February 2004)

That this House believes that the Government could have satisfied the EU's concerns about veterinary medicines entering the food chain by requiring proper certification accompanying any horse being presented at an abattoir for slaughter for food; argues that the introduction of compulsory horse passports with effect from 1st July is therefore a bureaucratic, interventionist and unenforceable solution to a problem which does not exist, and is a classic example of unnecessary gold-plating of an EU directive; is further concerned that in addition to the cost of the passport itself, the Government has now announced that veterinary certification of the description of the horse on the document will be compulsory from 31st January, thereby adding considerably to the overall cost of the scheme, which probably now represents a ú50 million burden on the horse industry; and calls on the Government to remove the compulsory nature of the document when it redrafts the currently defective statutory instrument implementing it.

Sponsored by:
James Gray (Conservative)