Actions
AIM 1: REVIEW HEALTH AND WELFARE STANDARDS
Champion: National Equine Welfare Council Delivery: Medium Term
Action 1a: Review all statements (legislation, codes of practice, best practice guidelines) relating to horse health and welfare standards within and across the user groups including standards under development or adopted overseas; identify and fill any potential gaps; identify ways in which standards can be improved, including enforcement arrangements and improving education and training (Aim 5 and Aim 6).
Action 1b: Identify areas where there are no arrangements in place to promote and enforce health and welfare standards and consider ways of addressing the problem.
Action 1c: Review availability and costs of euthanasia, types of carcass disposal and relevant legislation.
AIM2: REVIEW HEALTH SURVEILLANCE ARRANGMENTS
Champion: British Equine Veterinary Association Delivery: Medium Term
Action 2a: Review surveillance arrangements for horse diseases, both endemic and exotic, infectious and non-infectious, and horse injuries, including analysing the rsiks and associated costs, and consider any improvments.
Action 2b: Consider ways in which Britain can prepare itself for the economic implications of an outbreak of an infectious disease
Action 2c: Assess Government and industry contingency planning arrangements for notifiable diseases, taking account of European and international comparators.
Action 2d: Ensure a high level of vigilance for new and emerging threats to horse health and welfare in order to implement proactive or remedial action to reduce or negate such threats.
Action 2e: Identify any other areas of horse health and welfare that either have surveillance and control measures in place or require them to be put in place.
Action 2f: Review the Infectious Diseases of Horses Order 1987 to ensure that it is up-to-date, reflects the contents of the STEED contingency plan and incorporates lessons learned from previous outbreaks of disease.
AIM 3: REVIEW HORSE WELFARE OBSERVATION ARRANGEMENTS
Champion: National Equine Welfare Council Delivery: Within two years
Action 3a: Review observation arrangements for horse welfare and consider any improvements, including standardisation of methods of welfare measurement.
Action 3b: Develop a system of horse welfare surveillance based on reports from groups and organisations with an interest in the welfare of horses.
AIM 4: REVIEW METHODS OF HORSE IDENTIFICATION
Champion: British Horse Society Delivery: Short Term
Action 4a: Assess the potential health and welfare implications of existing and proposed legislation to enforce methods of permanent physical identification and to advise Government and/or the EU Commission as appropriate.
Action 4b: Promote the adoption of effective and humane systems of permanent physical identification for all horses.
Action 4c: Work with the insurance industry and others to identify ways of encouraging the take-up of permanent physical means of identification And recording the information on the National Equine Database.
AIM 5: REVIEW MEDICINES NEEDS AND AVAILABILITY
Champion: British Equine Veterinary Association Delivery: Within two years
Action 5a: Establish a working group to determine current and likely future medicine supply needs and recommend how best to meet them.
AIM 6: REVIEW EDUCATION, SKILLS AND TRAINING
Champion: LANTRA Delivery: Within three years
Action 6a: Audit education and skill levels and training provision, and identify significant gaps.
Action 6b: Devise and introduce a resourced plan to meet any significant gaps identified in 6a.
AIM 7: REVIEW RESEARCH REQUIREMENTS
Champion: The Horse Trust Delivery: Within two years
Action 7a: Review veterinary research arrangements; identify opportunities to improve funding, the quality and rate of progress of research, the allocation, distribution and use of research funds, and communication and uptake of results.
AIM 8: REVIEW DELIVERY AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
Champion: British Horse Industry Confederation Delivery: Ongoing – report annually
Action 8a: Ensure the Strategy is implemented, monitor its effectiveness and review its content to determine whether changes are needed and if so what form they should take.
