§ Major STEELasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to articles appearing in the Press on the subject of the sale of worn-out horses to the Continent; what steps are taken by his Department in the matter; and what is the lowest price at which these horses are sold and the cost of shipment?
Sir A BOSCAWENThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. These statements appear generally to be made under a misapprehension as to the facts. The Diseases of Animals Act, 1910, and the Exportation of Horses Act, 1914, prohibits the shipment of worn-out horses without a written guarantee from a veterinary inspector of the Ministry to the effect that the horses are capable of being conveyed and worked without suffering. The Ministry insist on a strict interpretation of the standard of fitness. The average price of the exported horses is, I understand, £28, and the cost of shipment varies between £4 and £6. I have no reason to believe that any horses 89W are being shipped which fail to reach the requisite standard.