§ Colonel APPLINasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he is aware that 45 ponies were exported from Harwich without the label that should be affixed to all horses by the Government Inspector that they have been passed by him as fit for shipment; and whether port inspectors are permitted to authorise horses to be shipped without labels?
Mr. GUINNESSI am aware that 45 ponies were exported from Harwich on the 17th September last which were not labelled. Article 4 of the Exportation of Horses Order, of 1910, provides that a veterinary inspector may, for the purposes of identification, fix a label to an animal certified by him to be fit to travel, the object being to secure that only animals which are fit to travel shall be embarked. In this case the port veterinary inspector did not consider that labelling was necessary as the ponies were under his continuous supervision from the time he examined them until they were embarked, and he also travelled with the ponies to Antwerp. The port inspectors were, however, reminded that their instructions require that all animals passed by them should be labelled, and they were directed to adhere to these instructions.
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§ Colonel APPLINasked the Minister of Agriculture whether he will consider issuing an Order to prohibit the shipment of wild ponies from Dartmoor and the New Forest, in view of their refusal to eat and drink when first in captivity?
Mr. GUINNESSNo attempt has been made to ship to the Continent ponies which were in such a wild condition that they refused to take food and water Ponies which have been exported have fed well before shipment, during the voyage and at the port of landing, and no difficulty has been experienced in watering the animals. I see no reason for prohibiting their shipment.