A consultation response on behalf of the horse industry and horse owners has been submitted to Defra, turning down their proposals to impose a levy on horse ownership.

The proposal for a New Independent Body for Animal Health has been widely consulted upon in the last few months, both within the equine and other livestock sectors.

In the case of the horse sector, there is insufficient accurate information in the Consultation document and no visible benefits for horse owners, to enable anything other than a firm “no” response to a proposed levy.

The Consultation response was prepared jointly by the British Horse Industry Confederation (BHIC), British Horse Society (BHS) and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF).