Alan Davies AM, Minister for Natural Resources and Food
This was published under the 2011 to 2016 administration of the Welsh Government
Today I am pleased to introduce the Control of Horses (Wales) Bill.
The Control of Horses (Wales) Bill gives effect to the Welsh Government’s vision for a fly grazing free Wales.
In March of this year, the Welsh Government published a consultation seeking views on an appropriate all Wales legislative solution to the problem of ‘so called’ fly grazing across Wales. The consultation closed on 29 April 2013.
In July the Welsh Government published a summary of the 604 responses to that consultation which showed that the vast majority of those who had responded were in favour of improved legislation to deal with this problem.
This Bill provides all local authorities in Wales with the same legal powers to seize, impound, sell, dispose of and destroy where appropriate horses by humane means after certain notifications and time limits are met, when horses are on land without lawful authority or occupier consent.
I would like to see the practice of local authorities working in partnership continue. Only by working together can we eradicate the problem of fly grazing. I believe the Control of Horses (Wales) Bill will provide them with the relevant new tools to deal with the problem and protect the public and the environment from the nuisance caused by the practice of fly grazing.