Welcome to the UK - May I see your passport Sir? Do you have a dog or a cat with you?

In the light of the recent outbreak of Equine Infectious Anemia we put the following questions to Jim Fitzpatrick, Minister for Environment and Rural Affairs. The answers were given by the Member of Parliament for the writer's constituency.

Q1 Were the horses Coggins tested prior to export from Romania? Were the results negative? Were the horses actually destined for slaughter?
A. The horses were documented as having been Coggins tested with negative results prior to leaving Rumania. The accompanying documentation indicated the horses were destined for breeding.

Q2 What percentage of horse transportation coming into UK is stopped for paperwork checks to see if the horses carried correspond with that paperwork? How do these figures compare with data held for the years 2000-09?
A. Currently no horses from EU countries are checked at ports unless we have identified a specific risk. Prior to 2008 a small number of random checks were carried out at Dover only.

Q3 What percentage of horses imported have follow up visits (such as the one resulted in finding infected horses in Wiltshire in January) again how do these figures compare against data held for 2000-09?
A. In the last three months of 2009, 114 consignments from a total of 542 were checked (21%) All consignments known to originate in Romania are checked. Earlier data not available for comparison.

Q4. Are there sufficient staff available at ports to carry out these checks ie is it possible that illegal horses are being imported into the UK?
A. There is no policy to carry out checks at ports. There is a programme of checks at the final destination to test compliance with the import rules. It was through this programme these horses were identified.

In the light that there are checks made at only ONE port of entry into the UK - and only then if the authorities are aware that a particular consignment of horses could carry a specific risk to the UK's equine population, please sign the Petition to tighten the Tripartite Agreement and encourage your friends to do so.

We MUST make it more difficult to bring horses into UK, horses that may be carrying diseases which could cause considerable damage to our UK horse population and our sporting and breeding programmes.

We at INAG are requesting that the Government makes the following amendments to the TPA:-

a) Only Racing, Breeding or Competition horses are covered by the TPA.
b) Instigate mandatory health checks on all other horses imported to the UK.

Given the measures the FEI undertake to protect our competition horses from infection (and the risks of importing and passing on diseases) each time our riders compete abroad, it is now time that these gaping security holes regarding the importation of horses are plugged and the UK horse population doesn't continue to be put at risk - whether by those who could willfully flout regulations, or by indifference of the authorities.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/TPAchanges/