50 horses put down for animal welfare reasons

Some 50 horses belonging to one owner in Galway have been put down for animal welfare reasons as the Department of Agriculture and local councils continue to try to cope with the problem of unwanted horses.

It is understood the owner has several hundred horses and their future is now being considered.

This follows the seizing and impounding of 85 horses in four sites in Cork last month in what was one of the biggest round-ups of its kind in the country, involving gardaí and staff from Cork City Council and the Department of Agriculture.

A spokeswoman for the department confirmed about 50 horses belonging to one person in Galway had been removed for animal welfare reasons.

Reform Alliance senator Fidelma Healy Eames drew attention to the case yesterday and said it highlighted the "chronic need for an economic solution to the problem" of an oversupply of horses.

She said it was outrageous that taxpayers’ money was being spent to destroy horses. Local authorities spent more than €2 million dealing with unwanted horses in 2012 and last year’s figure is likely to be higher. The problem arose because there was a frenzy of horse-buying during the boom years and their value collapsed when the recession took hold.

Before the horse meat crisis, some of these unwanted horses were slaughtered for their meat, even if they were ineligible, as regulations were lax. But regulations have since been tightened up and several meat plants have stopped slaughtering horses. Owners of unwanted horses could send them to a knackery but they would have to pay between €140-€200 to have the carcasses disposed of.