March 15, 2010

Britain's opposition Conservatives have changed their stance on equine passports, with the party's rural affairs spokesman saying the party now believed they should be compulsory.

MP James Paice, speaking at the recent National Equine Forum in Britain, acknowledged that the party's manifesto at the last election had said that the compulsory part of issuing horse passports would be dropped.

However, with the passage of time, he said he had accepted that the situation had changed and this was no longer the policy.

He said that passports should be for all horses and highlighted the benefits in terms of disease control.

However, he also recognised that many people still questioned whether passports need to remain compulsory and welcomed public opinion on the matter. He also raised concerns about the massive evasion that currently exists.

Paice pointed out that horse riding and racing together support directly and indirectly about a quarter of a million jobs, which injected many billions of pounds into the British economy.

The industry needed to be protected and promoted, he said.

Discussing the proposal for a levy on all British horse owners to fund disease prevention and control, Paice said any levy must be worth the cost and effort of collection and had to deliver a cost benefit.

He said the Conservative Party would work with the horse industry to find solutions.

The forum, which was attended by more than 200 industry leaders, was chosen as the launch pad for a new Museum of the Horse.

Caroline Anns-Baldock, a passionate equestrian historian, revealed her ideas for the Museum of the Horse in Britain.

"We are said to be a nation of horse lovers yet we are the only European country that does not have a museum of the horse," she said.

She has set up a committee of equestrian and business experts and is in the process of setting up a trust to fund the first phase of development, which includes building a website, putting together travelling exhibitions and securing suitable premises for the museum.

She said: "The myth, magic and history of the horse should be told. Help us to tell this story. We are looking for support from people interested in preserving and developing our equestrian heritage. We invite sponsors both in kind and in finance and we welcome ideas."