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Norfolk charity rescues horses being smuggled out of UK

Andrew Turner/BBC Zoe Williamson with two horses, being fed by hand through gaps in fencingAndrew Turner/BBC
Zoe Williamson says the horses are being rehabilitated at the charity's farm in Snetterton, Norfolk

Twenty-six horses and ponies believed to have been destined for slaughter in Europe have been rescued by a charity from being smuggled out of the UK.

World Horse Welfare (WHW), said the animals, which were crammed into a transporter, included pregnant mares.

Officials at the Port of Dover raised the alarm over welfare concerns and missing paperwork.

The charity, based in Snetterton, Norfolk, said the case highlighted the "tragic reality" of equine exports.

It has launched an emergency appeal for £20,000 to help with the animals' rehabilitation and ongoing care, and to raise awareness of the "cruel" trade.

'Distressed'

Zoe Williamson from the charity praised the authorities in Dover, Kent, for stopping the consignment.

"They just happened to have a look in the vehicle and saw that a number of the horses were looking quite distressed," she told the BBC.

"They took them to a nearby holding yard, and that's where they realised the number of horses on board didn't tally with the paperwork, which was for only 19 of them.

"There are probably a lot more cases like this that go under the radar and we strongly believe a lot are being exported for slaughter."

Andrew Turner/BBC Pregnant white mare in stableAndrew Turner/BBC
Among the 26 horses and ponies discovered, five were found to be pregnant

Roly Owers, the chief executive of WHW, said that in many cases, drivers and vehicles were switched, horses passed through multiple hands - sometimes on fraudulent passports - and moved between local authority areas before being exported.

'Smokescreen of confusion'

Of the 26 animals rescued, at least five mares were pregnant, and an elderly mare with severe arthritis was in such a poor condition that she had to be put down, WHW said.

A number of young, unhandled colts were "visibly terrified" by their ordeal, the charity added, and were likely to have been surplus to a breeder's requirements.

The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill, which is currently going through the House of Lords, would prohibit the export of certain livestock for slaughter.

Mr Owers said he hoped the Live Exports Bill would "implement a robust and digitalised equine identification system, and establish an effective system for enforcing all equine legislation, so that smugglers can no longer hide behind a smokescreen of confusion".

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