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Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain: The Evidence Base

Chapter 8: Companion animals, horses and aquaculture

8.1 Introduction

8.1.1 Previous sections have concentrated primarily on farm animals, but the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy is also aimed at other animals such as companion animals, horses and wildlife. Welfare and disease in non-farm animals, and the risk of spreading disease (for example where wildlife may come into contact with farmed animals) are all important.

8.2 Pets and companion animals

8.2.1 Information from the Pet Food Manufacturers Association shows that in 2002 almost half the households in the UK owned a companion animal ranging from dogs and cats to the more exotic reptiles and spiders. Cats are now the most popular type of companion animal. There were

6.1 million dogs and 7.5 million cats kept as companion animals in the UK. It has been estimatedthat approximately 59 per cent of dogs are pedigree with the most popular breeds being Labrador Retrievers, Yorkshire Terriers, Border Collies, Jack Russells and German Shepherds. Figure 8.2.1 shows trends in the ownership of cats and dogs in the UK. Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that in 2002 over 3.7 billion was spent by households in the UK on companion animals. Figure 8.2.2 shows trends in household expenditure on companion animals in the UK.

Figure 8.2.1: UK pet ownership

Source: Pet Food Manufacturers Association (http://www.pfma.com/petownership.htm)

Figure 8.2.2: UK expenditure of pets and pet products and related services at constant 1995 prices

Source: ONS Household Expenditure Survey

8.3 Exotic diseases in dogs and cats

8.3.1 In March 2003 Defra launched DACTARI (Dog and Cat Travel and Risk Information). This is a national voluntary scheme for the investigation of the possible occurrence of exotic diseases in dogs and cats in Great Britain. In the first six months of the scheme (March to August 2003) thirteen reports of exotic disease were reported in dogs. Whilst the number of reports are small they indicate that exotic diseases are present in dogs with a history of travel or residency abroad.

8.4 Quarantine and Pets Travel Scheme (PETS) statistics

8.4.1 Until PETS was introduced in 2000 dogs and cats coming into the UK were all subject to quarantine regulations. In 2000 new regulations were introduced that allows owners to bring dogs and cats into the UK without having to put them into quarantine, provided a strict set of rules are adhered to. These rules are designed to minimize the risk of spreading disease whilst reducing the welfare and social issues associated with having to put one's pets into quarantine. Currently the only authorised routes into the UK are through entry points in England. The latest figures (to December 2003) show that just under 137 thousand pets have entered England under the Scheme, with dogs accounting for almost 90 per cent of the entries. Table 8.4.1 shows the number of dogs and cats that have entered England under PETS.

Table 8.4.1 Number of cats and dogs entering England since the start of the Pet Travel Scheme in February 2000

Source: Defra (http://defraweb/animalh/quarantine/pets/procedures/stats.htm)

8.4.2 Of the animals presented under the scheme 7 per cent have failed their PETS check. The main reason for failure has been under the requirement for tick and tapeworm treatment. Other reasons included incorrect rabies certification. The majority of pets that failed their check were able to continue their journey after visiting a veterinarian or having waited for the required 24 hours to elapse following the tick and tapeworm treatment.

8.4.3 Under national legislation cats and dogs that do not fully comply with the PETS regulations, and all other rabies susceptible animals entering the UK are required to be licensed into six months quarantine, to prevent rabies being reintroduced by imported animals. Government is responsible for authorising quarantine premises which can include zoos, research establishments as well as quarantine kennels and catteries. The current authorised premises in England and Wales include 37 premises for dogs, cats and pet mammals, 29 zoos and 106 research establishments. Since the introduction of PETS, the demand for quarantine has declined and the number of quarantine premises for dogs and cats has reduced from 61 in 2000 to the current 37. The number of illegally landed animals has increased from 45 in 2002 to 111 in 2003.

Table 8.4.2 Number of dogs and cats entering quarantine in England and Wales

* Last full year where all animals were required to go into quarantine i.e. before the Pet Travel Scheme was introduced

8.5 Horses

8.5.1 In September 2003 the Government commissioned research, jointly with the British Horse Industry Confederation, to underpin the development of an equine industry strategy. The research will provide a coherent map of the industry and its component sectors, clearly identify the baseline - especially in economic terms - from which the industry is starting, and suggest key issues for the development of the strategy. Defra's Horse Industry Team is responsible for managing this research project with the British Horse Industry Confederation. The Government is also working in collaboration with the equine industry in order to establish a National Equine Database that will record details of every horse issued with a passport.

8.5.2 At the moment the information available on horses is very patchy. The information presented in the following sections has been compiled from a variety of organisations, surveys and web sites.

8.5.3 The June Census of agriculture asks for number of horses on farm but many horses are actually kept on other premises (racing stables, stud farms, riding schools, livery stables etc). The British Horse Society (BHS) has gathered statistics on the horse industry from a variety of sources, and these are available on their website www.bhs.org.uk . A few years ago a survey of the UK horse industry was conducted by the British Equestrian Trade Association. This showed that in the UK in 1999, 2.4 million people enjoyed riding (4.5 per cent of the population), with half of all riders doing so at least once a week. Horse owners and riders were estimated to spend around 2.5 billion on horses and riding including 150 million on buying horses and 1200 million on the upkeep of horses. There were around 965 thousand horses in the UK, 900 thousand privately owned and 65 thousand professionally owned. Welfare standards, disease prevention and treatment, and the risk of spreading disease apply as much to the horse industry as to the livestock industry.

8.6 Riding schools and instructors

8.6.1 A person keeping a riding establishment (which is defined as an establishment "carrying on of a business of keeping horses for riding or hire, or for the purpose of instruction for the return of payment") is required to have a licence issued by the Local Authority. The licence is subject to conditions covering basic standards of horse welfare. Licences are issued on an annual basis following a satisfactory inspection by a council Licensing Officer and a veterinary surgeon. Other membership schemes exist that show riders that certain standards in horse care, instruction and safety are adhered to. The Association of British Riding Schools (ABRS) and the BHS both operate such schemes. There are currently around 810 BHS Approved riding establishments, including over 180 BHS Approved livery yards and about 20 BHS Approved centres overseas. Once a year each BHS establishment undergoes an unannounced inspection to ensure the standards are maintained. ABRS establishments are subject to an unannounced inspection at least every two years. Over 1,300 people gained BHS Assistant Instructor certificates between 1996 and 2003, about 150 people gained BHS Intermediate Instructor certificates between 1999 and 2003, and about 40 people gained BHS Instructor certificates between 1998 and 2003. These examinations not only require teaching skills but also require detailed knowledge of horse care. The Pony Club aims to give instruction in riding and horsemanship and to educate its members to look after and take proper care of their animals. The Pony Club currently has about 40 thousand members in Great Britain and over 137 thousand members worldwide. The Pony Club trains its own instructors as well as using BHS qualified instructors. The Pony Club currently has about 12 thousand accredited instructors.

8.7 Other equine professions

8.7.1 A farrier is a skilled craftsperson with a sound knowledge of both theory and practice of the craft, capable of shoeing all types of feet, whether normal or defective, of making shoes to suit all types of work and working conditions, and of devising corrective measures to compensate for faulty limb action. Appropriate foot care is essential to the well-being of horses and ponies. The Farriers Registration Council is responsible for registering farriers in Great Britain. As at the 31st December 2002 there were 2,393 farriers registered in Great Britain.

8.7.2 The Jockey Club is responsible for the regulation of the conduct of British racing, taking a pro-active approach to welfare issues related to horse racing. Part of the role of the Jockey Club is the licensing and registration of racing participants. In 2002 there were over 720 trainers with licences or permits and almost 870 professional jockeys and amateur riders with permits. Table 8.7.1 gives the more information for the years 1999 to 2002.

Table 8.7.1 Number of trainers, jockeys and amateur riders in GB

Source: The Jockey Club

8.7.3 Equine dentistry is often handled by vets, but there is also the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians (BAEDT) eligible to those who have passed the Defra approved British Equine Veterinary Association / British Veterinary Dental Association equine dentistry exam. The BAEDT currently has about 40 members.

8.7.4 Recently the Society of Master Saddlers, in conjunction with the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA), launched a foundation course to promote greater understanding of the basic principles of saddle fitting amongst vets, physiotherapists, farriers, registered Fellows and Instructors of the British Horse Society and so on. About 120 people have qualified as SMS Qualified Saddle Fitters.

8.7.5 In 2002 the RCVS Directory of Veterinary Practices produced by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons listed over 980 main veterinary practices throughout Great Britain that dealt with horses. 85 of these practices were specialist equine practices that just dealt with horses.

8.8 Horse welfare

8.8.1 The National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) was founded in March 1977. There are now 55 member organisations from around the UK including breed societies, the RSPCA and SSPCA, the BHS and ABRS, shelters, sanctuaries, rehabilitation and rescue organisations, and Riding for the Disabled. The NEWC produces a code of practice for organisations involved in the keeping of horses, ponies, donkeys, mules and asses. Welfare organisations are assessed before they can gain full membership. Assessment criteria include inspection of animals, facilities, staffing, records, feed and finances.

8.9 Movement of horses and horse breeding

8.9.1 Some horses and ponies may not travel far beyond the place they are kept. They may be used for hacking out in the local countryside or going to local competitions. Other horses travel more widely around the country or even abroad attending shows, competitions racecourses or moving for breeding purposes. Horse movement could increase the risk of catching and spreading disease and time in transit and conditions on show-grounds could have welfare implications. The British Equestrian Federation represents its members co-ordinating their common policy issues. Its members include the governing bodies for show jumping, dressage, eventing, vaulting, driving, reining and endurance as well as the BHS, ABRS, Pony Club, the British Equestrian Trade Association and the Scottish Equestrian Association. The British Show Jumping Association, the governing body for show jumping, formulates the rules and codes of practice under which all affiliated show jumping competitions are held. It manages more than 2000 shows in Great Britain each year. Its purpose is to improve and maintain standards and ensure fair competition over safe and attractive courses.

8.9.2 There are over 60 breed societies in Great Britain ranging from Weatherbys that manages the stud book for thoroughbreds, and non-thoroughbreds with over 25 thousand mares and over 800 stallions on the books to small breed societies that may have only 1 or 2 registered stallions. Some societies represent native British breeds whilst others represent breeds from around the world. Infectious reproductive disease outbreaks can have serious welfare implications for horses and ponies during the breeding season and can irreparably damage stud farm enterprises.

8.10 Mammals

8.10.1 The Tracking Mammals Partnership (launched in July 2003) is a collaborative initiative, involving 23 organisations with a variety of interests in UK mammals, which aims to improve the quality, quantity and dissemination of information on the status of mammal species in the UK. A co-ordinated approach to the surveillance and monitoring of mammals will help to inform conservation and wildlife management decisions. Established monitoring schemes include the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme, the National Bat Monitoring Programme, mammal monitoring through the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) Breeding Bird Survey, the National Game Bag Census, and the National Otter Survey. Pilot schemes include the Great British Deer Survey and the Winter Mammal Monitoring Project. Further information can be found on the website: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/species/mammals/trackingmammals.

8.10.2 In the last 100 years many of our native mammals have felt the effects of habitat loss, or change through agricultural intensification, persecution and competition from non-native species and have undergone a decline in their populations. Conversely, there is evidence that a few native species and most non-native species have benefited from human influence on the landscape and their populations have increased substantially. However, for many mammal species there is little information to say what is happening to their numbers and for the majority of species there is no reliable information on population trends. The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) has put together what information is currently available (summarised in Table 8.10.1). The complete table can be found on the Defra website at: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics/wildlife/alltables.htm

Table 8.10.1 Estimated mammal populations, geographic distribution and changes over the last 30 years in Great Britain, by species

1 Estimated number of animals at the beginning of the breeding season.
2 The reliability of the estimates are graded as follows:
a - within 10 per cent either way
b- within 25 per cent either way
c - within 50 per cent either way
d - only the broad ranking of the species correct
e - correct to only the right order of magnitude.
3 Number of 10 km squares in which the species has been recorded since 1960.
4 An assessment of population changes and/or range changes over the last 30 years:
++ - strong evidence of an increase
+ - suggestions of an increase
s - probably stable or no clear evidence of a change
- - suggestions of a decline
-- - strong evidence of a decline.
5 Subjective assessments based on data presented in JNCC review. Vulnerable species are those whose populations are either small or threatened and endangered are those species
threatened with extinction in GB.
6 Range under-estimated due to confusion with another species.
7 No estimate available for range.
8 Range shows all 10km records.
9 Range shows records since 1975 only.

Source: Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Defra

8.11 Birds

8.11.1 The overall index of populations of British breeding birds has been relatively stable over the last two decades. In 2002, the index of all native species showed that the population across the UK was 13 per cent higher than it was in 1970, but when compared to 2000 there has been a small decrease. The farmland index almost halved between 1977 and 1993, but has been relatively stable since. Declines have slowed in recent years and the 2002 index is virtually unchanged from 2000. The woodland bird index fell by around 30 per cent between 1974 and 1998, and although there were year-on-year increases during the late 1990's, the indicator fell by 5 per cent in 2002 in relation to 2000.

Figure 8.11.1: Population of wild birds in the United Kingdom

Source: Defra, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, BTO

8.12 Aquaculture

8.12.1 There are over 1 thousand fish and shellfish farming businesses in the UK operating on

1.5 thousand sites directly employing more than 3 thousand people. The main fish species farmed are salmon (139 thousand tonnes mainly in Scotland) and rainbow trout (16 thousand tonnes) (2001 figures). There is also limited production of other species, such as carp and brown trout, and new species to aquaculture such as turbot, halibut, cod and Arctic char have produced encouraging results. Molluscan shellfish production was around 25 thousand tonnes in 2001. Mussels are the main species produced, with oysters and clams also farmed. Trials on scallop farming have proved successful.

8.12.2 Considerable funds have been spent by the Government on aquaculture research, particularly on work to control disease. In addition, joint sponsorship of research by Government, industry and other organisations is being undertaken through the Committee for Aquaculture Research and Development to promote the sustainable development of the industry, including the evaluation of alternative species for cultivation. For example, some 1 million are spent each year by SEERAD and Fisheries Research Services.

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