An
economy in crisis in the UK and along with it the value of horses and
ponies that are ending up in auctions declines alarmingly.
EMW Sanctuaries welfare representatives are working
auctions and drift/round up sales across the UK are reporting venues so
full of equine entries that there are insufficient pens for the them to
be held and many standing on lorries until their turn to be sold comes
up.
Tiny foals and old ponies, those who have been unhandled and those
who served their purpose well, all are at risk of the same fate, the
abattoir if they are lucky, the long terrifying haul to non UK death if
they are not.
Old and young alike have little or no value, their are
so few good kind homes, and the meat dealers are working flat out to
deal with the volumn of unwanted, valueless and overbred animals.
If
these were cattle or sheep or any other farm animal there would be
public outcry and DEFRA intervention, if these were puppies or old dogs
then people would be up in arms but these are ponies and it seems no one
cares at all for their sad and pathetic fate.
Those who are
relentlessly breeding them need a rude awakening, they need a penalty
put on them directly linked to the numbers they are hell bent on
creating and the whole horse world needs to be scrutined like never
before, it is without a doubt a sick industry that can only get sicker
as the punywelfare laws in place continue to allow equines to fall
right through a gaping hole in the middle of domestic animals and farmed
animals.
This charity believes that there should be put in place
compulsorary grading for ALL breeding equines, gelding should be
compulsorary and owners should be held responsible for youngstock up to
and including the 6th month of life. There needs to be a high and harsh
financial penalty for those who breach breeding terms. those funds
could help to support charities who end up picking up the pieces and
mending the neglected and abused that are swamping our meagre
reserves.
At recent auctions our reps have observed owners simply
driving off and leaving their animals penned in auction. Many didn't
raise a single bid and not even the meat dealers were interested in the
rough little 'scrub' ponies, they were simply abandoned, with nowhere
to go and no one wanting them...with the new crop of foals now due in we
face the same sad and sorry sights once again. EMW-UK will be in
auction on November 5th where we expect to see the majority of ponies
end up on the meat lorries...If you cna offer any help to this donation
funded UK charity we appreciate your support. These ponies don't ask to
be born, humans choose that for them and then leave them to their sorry
fate. Our advice to those who may be thinking of breeding from a mare
in the coming years is this,
DON'T BREED!
