asked the Minister for Agriculture if he is aware of the dissatisfaction with the supervision of the export of horses; and if he is prepared to take steps to improve the existing arrangements for supervision, or alternatively to stop the export of horses.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Export of Horses.
31.
I am not so aware, and I do not propose to stop exports.
The Minister has been sufficiently humane to accept the case made to stop the export of horses of a certain age. That, I think, is generally appreciated by the people concerned. What is the Minister's case for not taking the same action in regard to the present age group of horses which are being exported under similar conditions?
The case is one which I have made repeatedly. In the first place, I never admitted, as Minister, that hardships and suffering were inflicted on horses as a result of export. I did admit, when establishments were erected here for the slaughter of horses, that it was a desirable development and that it was only right that limitation should be imposed upon the export of horses. After considerable thought and discussion, I decided that a ban should be placed on the export of horses over seven years. I believe, in the first place, that it was necessary to do that in order to establish the non-acceptance of the case made against the export of horses; secondly, it was necessary to do it in order to protect the farmers and the owners and the people who have horses for sale and to ensure that they would get reasonable and fair prices for them. These were two very important considerations, and briefly they form the basis and the foundation on which this decision was made, which, as I have said, is to me and to many others who know this problem very well, a very excellent one.
Could the MInister not agree that if he has accepted the responsibility for imposing hardships on horses of seven years and over, whatever moved him in that respect would, therefore, invalidate any other decision he may have arrived at?
It is to be assumed that a horse of seven years of age and under will have a greater capacity for resisting whatever trials might be experienced in the course of transit by sea than older horses would have.