§ Lord Rowallanasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which countries in the European Union treat the horse as an agricultural animal and which do not.
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Donoughue)This is not information which the Government collect42WA on a regular basis, and national legislation may not be comparable in an area unregulated by EU law. However, we believe that France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal broadly regard the horse as an agricultural animal, irrespective of the use to which it is put.
§ Lord Rowallanasked Her Majesty's Government:
On what grounds they opted out of Directive 90/427/EEC of 26 June 1990 which declared that the horse was an agricultural animal and that ownership of horses should be encouraged.
§ Lord DonoughueThe United Kingdom have not opted out of Council Directive 90/427/EEC. However, there is no requirement in it for member states to classify horses as agricultural animals.