§ Mr. CatonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will assess the impact of the European Directive requiring horse passports on the population of semi-feral mountain ponies in Wales. [149656]
§ Mr. TouhigI have been asked to reply.
I understand that no final decision has yet been taken about the point at which Welsh mountain ponies will have to be passported, but implementation of the European legislation in full will require every horse, pony and donkey to have a passport. The Welsh Assembly, which is responsible, is still considering the final domestic legislation to implement the Directive, taking into account the need to preserve both the breed of pony and the environment in which it lives.