South East MEP Sharon Bowles welcomes 'step in the right direction' on ending cruelty to horses

11.08.00am GMT Fri 19th Feb 2010

Sharon Bowles MEP feeding horses cared for by the Horse Trust in Buckinghamshire

Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles has welcomed the European Parliament's adoption of a written declaration outlining steps to end cruelty to horses.

Over 100,000 horses are transported across Europe for slaughter every year, many of them in inhumane conditions, causing exhaustion, dehydration, injury and death.

Among the abuses uncovered are examples of horses being denied rest stops, food and water, and packed like sardines into steel lorries where temperatures can rise to above 40 degrees.

Sharon Bowles said:

• "Despite tough EU legislation on animal welfare, some people are flouting the rules. Consequently, some horses suffer terrible injuries and are often found dead on arrival."

• "Parliament's adoption of a written declaration to put an end to this barbaric treatment of horses is a victory for anyone campaigning to prevent cruelty to animals."

• "This success is thanks to the hard work of World Horse Welfare and the campaigning carried out by hundreds of individuals, including many in the South East."

Earlier this year Sharon Bowles wrote to Commissioner Androlla Vassiliou urging improvements in horse transport conditions and outlining failings in the implementation of current rules. In her reply Vassiliou pledged that the Commission would take action by 2011 to address these failings, with the possibility of new legislation to follow.