Abstract
This report compiles the available information on unwanted horses in Ireland for 2011 and 2012 and builds upon the previous report for the period 2005 to 2010. Similar trends are present in the high value responsible ownership category and the practicing veterinary profession although extensively involved in horse welfare, euthanises a small proportion of Ireland’s unwanted horses. Welfare groups have limited resources and a limited ability to deal with such an extensive problem, which has involved very large numbers of horses. Local authorities continue to have to devote significant efforts and calls on public finances to deal with unwanted horses. Those that they have to deal with are, in the main, not identifiable by either passports or microchips. Category 2 plants and abattoirs continue to provide the principal means of disposal of unwanted horses. The need for abattoirs continues to increase and it is essential that these facilities remain in operation. They processed more than 49,000 horses between 2010 and 2012. The samples they have to submit for Trichinella testing are the most sensitive indicator of the extent of the unwanted horse problem and the most immediate source of information on when it may begin to abate. Trichinella sample numbers and this by inference, horses ponies and donkeys sent to slaughter have fallen by some 35% from 2012 numbers, in the year to date (2013). This may reflect the commercial decision to cease horse slaughter by two slaughterhouses that had hitherto provided this service. Their commercial decision was not in any way related to the identification of fraudulent mislabeled beef in other plants.
Highlights
Unwanted horses are a continuing cause of national and international concern [1,2])
1,100 members of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association (ITBA) were sent the survey by e-mail through the offices of the ITBA and Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) sent the same survey to the affiliate secretaries of it’s 19 constituent organisations who have a combined total of 20,364 members. 1,222 private veterinary practitioners that were members of Veterinary Ireland and a further 873 non-member veterinary practitioners received an e-mail survey
Owner responses increased from 287 responses in 2005–2011 to 406 in 2011, private veterinary practitioners responses rose from 72 to 74 for the same periods, only one response was received from welfare groups for 2011, whereas 9 had responded for 2005–2010
Summary
Unwanted horses are a continuing cause of national and international concern [1,2]). In their report on unwanted horses [1,3], stated that there is a need for annual demographic data compilation and review of the numbers of unwanted horses and ponies within the Irish horse industry to assist policy makers and legislators. This report provides an update on the 2005 to 2010 data for the year 2011 and provides government statistics for both 2011 and 2012
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