Latest Market Reports
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Reports from our contacts attending auctions
and fairs tell of disturbing incidents that are
in breach of the 1990 Statuatory Instruments
...
LLANYBYDDER SEPTEMBER 25TH 2008 After visiting the auction today I'm disgusted by the slipping attitudes there.
The market had started to improve, I have visited every month for the past 18 months but unfortunately in the past 4 months have not seen any (visible sign ) of the officials that are supposed to be in attendance.
Both the sellers and the market staff seem to be becoming aware of this and letting standards slip as a result.
I was particularly disgusted today by the in-humane separation of mares and foals (obviously too young to leave mum ? 1990 definition - "foal" means a horse under the age of four months ) at the sale.
STATUATORY INSTRUMENT- Restrictions on the sale of foals7.?(1) No person shall bring or cause to be brought to a market a foal unless it is at the foot of its dam. (2) No person shall expose for sale separately a foal which has been brought to a market at the foot of its dam. (3) No person shall separate a foal from its dam while?(a) They are awaiting removal from the market after being exposed for sale; or(b) They are being kept in a market (without being exposed for sale there) pending completion of their inland transit in Great Britain.
. There were both mares and foals obviously stressed by the environment to start with, then separated and left in pens screaming for each other. There were foals herded onto boxes (not all meat men's) and kicking and squealing so badly it was a wonder the boxes held them. We did get the money together to buy one of these foals and he turns out to be 14 wks old. The catalogue said he is fully weaned, eating hard feed, wormed and halter broken. None of this is actually the case but he is now settled in a warm stable with the company of a 5 month old orphaned foal.
There was also a mare dragged off a mountain side, never been handled and imminent to foal. She was stuck in a corner pen with two walk ways and jumping out of her skin every couple of seconds as anyone walked by. While I was talking to her and calming her I am fairly positive her waters broke so I went up to the office and asked for the owner, a vet and if at all possible a welfare officer.STATUATORY INSTRUMENT - Unfit horses and mares likely to give birth
5.?(1) No person shall permit an unfit horse to be exposed for sale in a market.
(2) No person shall permit a mare to be exposed for sale in a market if it is likely to give birth while it is there. I did get the owner who insisted the mare was not due to foal until after Christmas but I felt it was obvious he was going to say that, as she shouldn't have been brought in that condition to start with.One of the market officials then told me that there was a welfare officer on site and got him for me. He was out of his area and could not act apparently but gave me some useful information on what to do next. Then one of the market officials came over with 3 other men, giving the impression that one was a vet, and they held a conversation in Welsh (I'm not expert at my own language but the gist of it was they decided the mare was fine and could go into the auction ring) I was then informed that the apparent vet was indeed a dealer/meat man/ possibly a very experienced horseman, but definitely not a vet.
I was about to start insisting on a vet when a very kind lady offered the owner £250 for the mare and she spoke gently too her and boxed her with little problem so I am hoping the mare is settled in a stable or field and has no problem with her foaling. The little mare deserves such a lovely home after all she has been through.
There were also the usual varieties of cuts, overgrow hooves and lameness, all of which went through the sale ring.
We arrived around 10-30am and the fair was reasonably busy. There were puppies on sale, some in caging that was rough and cramped and with no water access nor
any form of shade. Rabbits were also penned in runs with no shade or water. Some of the pups on one stall had clear signs of flea infestation and one had scarring
to it's face. We were very pleased to see and speak with an RSPCA officer who we will be liaising with in future at this venue and also at Usk Horse fair.
Two mares with young foals at foot were being run around on the concrete yard but the horses gave no concern for welfare at all, all being in good to fat condition.
As always with fairs it is the small animals that give rise to concerns.
REPORTS FROM HOLSWORTHY CORNWALL (16th) and from THE NEW FOREST SALES (September) are pending.
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