British Group Says Horse Passports Aren’t Working

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says that equine passports, which are designed to be traveling health records and identifiction for horses in Great Britain, are not working.

The RSPCA reported that 75 percent of horses coming into the charity are not accompanied by their passports and are not microchipped, a legal requirement. The group says horses in some places are sold for as little as £5 ($7.47), and many horses are abandoned after new owners realize they had underestimated the cost to keep them. The news comes in the wake of the European horsemeat scandal, which has sparked concern about the plight of unwanted horses in Europe, in addition to the medications given to horses entering the food chain.

“Horses can change hands for a small amount of money and end up in the hands of irresponsible owners and traders,” RSPCA equine coordinator Chief Insp Cathy Hyde told the Huddersfield Daily Examiner. “They can't be traced back to their owners, making it very difficult to prosecute and try to stop these people keeping horses.”

Read more at the Huddersfield Daily Examiner