§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether horses in Northern Ireland are defined as agricultural animals by Northern Ireland Departments; and if he will make a statement. [R] [128420]
575W
§ Mr. PearsonUnder NI legislation, the horse is not classified as an agricultural animal. This mirrors the position in the other parts of the UK.
The Report "Vision for the future of the agri-food industry" included a number of recommendations relating to the equine sector. One of these was that the redesignation of the horse as art agricultural animal should be pursued in the longer term. In the Vision Action Plan which I published in November 2002, I highlighted that there were wider issues to consider and that these would be discussed with the industry in due course.
I have recently established an Equine Stakeholder Group, one of whose early tasks will be to advise on a comprehensive study of the equine industry in Northern Ireland. This will run in tandem with a similar study in Great Britain. The designation of the horse will be an aspect of both studies.
The overall rating system in Northern Ireland is currently subject to a major policy review. A Policy paper on existing and potential non-domestic reliefs and exemptions will be published in late autumn. That paper will include consideration of the need for the introduction of any exemption or relief for the equine industry.