Hope's Story - Day 2

Today our Welfare Officer went back out to the moor to find Hope.  She was able to get a Defra vet and an RSPCA officer to attend the moor. They said that they would not bring a prosecution against the owner and the only thing they would be able to do is issue an "improvement notice" that would require the farmer to remove the pony from the moor.  Both the Defra vet and the RSPCA Officer claimed that the responsibilities of an owner of a moorland pony are unclear in the Animal Welfare Act.   This is astonishing because  even the Equine Industry Welfare Guidelines Compendium produced in conjunction with Defra and the RSPCA states:
"Semi-feral horses, grazed extensively on semi-natural habitats including heathland, forest and moorland, should be inspected for, amongst other things, body condition, hoof condition, signs of injury, ill-health, and the availability of food and water, preferable daily. Managing horses in a semi-feral state does pose greater challenges for inspection and handling but owners and keepers have legal responsibilities to ensure the welfare of their horses under the Animal Welfare Act irrespective of their chosen management system".

The RSPCA officer went to find the farmer, who came out to the site. The farmer said that there was nothing wrong with the pony. He was told that he should remove the pony from the moor and get a vet to the pony. The owner said that he wouldn’t get a vet and he would get the pony shot because now there is a scheme in place where he gets paid for the meat of the pony (part of the licensing of this scheme was given by Defra – so now farmers effectively get paid/rewarded if they neglect their animals, as well as if they keep them in good condition). The RSPCA and Defra felt this was acceptable and the RSPCA officer started to help round the pony up to get it into the trailer. The ponies ran off into the distance, and in the presence of the Defra vet and RSPCA officer I was able to offer the farmer £30 for the pony (which the farmer claimed was the meat price he would get for pony) so that the pony could be brought into our care. Defra gave the farmer 24 hours to remove the pony from the moor.