Slaughter of racehorses for their meat.

Thank you for writing to me concerning the slaughter of racehorses for their meat.

I would like to assure you that my Welsh Conservative colleagues and I share your high regard for the welfare of racehorses and other animals. The welfare of racehorses, both during and beyond their racing lives, should be a priority for all who participate in the horseracing sector. We therefore absolutely support the improvement of data recording regarding racehorse careers and fatalities in order to better monitor racehorse welfare going forward.

As you know, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), as Britain’s racing governing and regulatory body, is responsible for the safety of racehorses at British racecourses. They work closely with the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to make horseracing as safe as possible, and when there is an instance of fatal injury of a racehorse it is reviewed by the BHA and other bodies.

Any incident of a racehorse being slaughtered for their meat in concerning. The BHA stipulates that any horses running in Britain must be signed out of the food chain and any unscrupulous behaviour must be punished.

We as Welsh Conservatives absolutely wish to see racehorses receive the protections they deserve and will continue to push for the best possible standards to be upheld coupled with the greatest enforcement of the law.

I thank you again for taking the time to contact me.