§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will take steps to revert stud farms and other facilities for the breeding and keeping of horses to their former status of not being liable for rates; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ChopeThe decision of the House of Lords in the case of Hemens (VO) v. Whitsbury Farm and Stud Ltd. has confirmed that the breeding of horses is not an agricultural activity for the purposes of rating. We are now considering representations that the law should be changed so as to extend the benefits of agricultural derating to stud farms.