§ 65. Mr. G. Jegerasked the Minister of Agriculture (1) what was the declared value of the 25 live horses recently shipped from Goole to Antwerp for slaughter; and what action was taken to check the declaration;
101W(2) what steps are taken to verify the declared value of horses exported for slaughter; and whether he has any information as to the effective working of the order regulating this.
Mr. T. WilliamsThe provisions of the Diseases of Animals Acts do not call for any verification of the declared values of horses for export, but prohibit the exportation of certain kinds of horses unless the veterinary inspector who examines them certifies that in his opinion they are not of less than certain prescribed values. The revised values under the Exportation of Horses (Minimum Values) Order, 1950, have not been in force sufficiently long for me to judge of their effectiveness in preventing the export of horses for slaughter.
The value declared by the exporter of each of the 25 horses recently shipped from Goole was £80. They were examined by the veterinary inspector at Goole who was satisfied that they were each worth at least £80 which is also the minimum value for a heavy horse prescribed by the recent Order below which exportation is prohibited.