Fly-grazing law must not prove a ‘missed opportunity’ as Welsh Conservatives unveil worrying new figures

Local Authorities enforcing legislation aimed at tackling fly-grazing and equine abandonment need more support, to ensure the law doesn’t become “toothless” and a “missed opportunity”.

That’s according to the Welsh Conservatives – who have uncovered new figures which show declining, and sporadic, use of the Control of Horses (Wales) Act 2014.

268 equines were seized under the legislation in 2015, a decline of 40 percent on the previous calendar year. This is despite Assembly Members still being inundated with concerns about local fly-grazing hot spots.

The Act had been used to seize 449 equines in the previous year.

Whilst fly-grazing prevalence varies across Wales, Welsh Conservatives can also reveal that 13 Councils did not utilise the powers at all in 2015, up from ten in 2014.

The findings from the Welsh Conservatives also suggest that the majority of horses seized under the Act are not destroyed, and are often returned to an owner, or rehomed – yet, without effective enforcement, many equines risk being left in unsatisfactory situations.

Welsh Conservatives had previously campaigned for Labour Ministers to bring forward proposals which addressed the issue of fly-grazing and equine abandonment, which can lead to both animal welfare and public safety problems.

Andrew RT Davies AM, Welsh Conservative leader, previously proposed backbench legislation aimed at improving the lot of Wales’ equine population, and in January 2014 a new law was passed, via an expedited process, to equip Councils with new tools to deal with the issue. However, this new data raises major question marks as to the support the Welsh Government is providing to Local Authorities to deliver effective enforcement.

Andrew RT Davies AM said:

“Whilst the legislation was a welcome step forward for public safety, and had the potential to protect animal welfare, it risks proving toothless without robust, consistent enforcement in affected areas across Wales.

“Our figures suggest that without proper support for enforcement bodies, this piece of legislation could amount to a missed opportunity in the battle to tackle fly-grazing, which has blighted many communities across Wales.

“Across my own region of South Wales Central, and many other parts of Wales, fly-grazing remains a major issue, and Local Authorities must be supported to utilise their legislative toolkit to protect equines and community safety.”

Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, Paul Davies AM added:

“The Control of Horses (Wales) Act 2014 was introduced as an urgent response to fly-grazing and equine abandonment issues across Wales, but clearly more needs to be done to ensure this law is better utilised. 

“Inconsistent enforcement across Wales risks displacement of the problem, and it is important this Labour administration works to support, and equip, all Councils with the knowledge and tools to tackle the fly-grazing menace.

“We’ve seen that where the Act is used, equines are often removed from unsatisfactory conditions and returned to owners or rehomed. However, without adequate support, a lack of enforcement risks welfare issues emerging, and community safety being compromised.”

* = Newport Council was unable to split the data between 2014 and 2015 for the equines seized. As such, for the purposes of this piece, the numbers have been divided between the two calendar years.