Farmers and other landowners dealing with horses illegally abandoned on their land can now take swifter action to resolve the problem.
The new Control of Horses Act comes into force in England on Wednesday (26th May) giving landowners greater powers to deal with horses left illegally on their land.
The CLA, which represents landowners, farmers and rural businesses, worked closely with a coalition of rural organisations and animal welfare charities to drive the Private Members’ Bill through Parliament following its introduction by Julian Sturdy MP in 2014.
Landowners can now take fly-grazed horses to a place of safety immediately, notifying local police within 24 hours. If no owner is identified in four working days, the landowner can take action such as re-homing the horses to charities or selling them privately.
CLA Director Isle of Wight, Belinda Walters said:
“We pressed for this new law so that farmers and landowners can act for swift resolution if faced with the problem of horses illegally abandoned on their land.
“Fly-grazed horses can damage land, crops and fencing, restrict space for livestock and cost money to provide for their welfare and safety. It has been very difficult, time consuming and expensive for landowners to deal with these situations but from today they can take swifter action to resolve the problem by, for example, re-homing the horses to charities or privately.”
