asked the Minister for Agriculture whether he is aware that three horses died from hardship during the voyage of the S.S. City of Amsterdam, which left Dublin on 26th November, 1954, and that five more had to be slaughtered immediately on arrival, and further, whether he is aware of other cases of horses dying at sea on vessels travelling from Irish ports to Belgium during the months of December, 1954, and January, 1955; and, if so, whether, in view of the deleterious effect reports of such occurrences have on our national reputation, he will make a statement in the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Export of Horses.
I understand that there were three casualties at sea among the 191 horses shipped on this occasion. I have no information regarding horses slaughtered at Antwerp after the arrival of the ship.
There was a relatively small number of casualties among horses shipped to Belgium in December and January.
I am aware that statements have been made in the Press and otherwise by some persons—mainly outside this country—who display little anxiety to weigh the true facts, and seem interested in gaining a certain notoriety by depicting this trade in fantastic and lurid colours and by abusing myself and the Government of which I am a member. I cannot agree that sensational newspaper articles and abuse can do any damage to our national reputation when the true facts show that there is no real ground for these attacks. As those responsible for the attacks made no prior approach to my Department to obtain the facts, it might be well if I set out the position briefly:
Stringent conditions govern the shipment of horses from this country. They include individual veterinary examination of horses before shipment to ensure that only horses which are strong, healthy, in good condition and fit for work are exported. The type of accommodation on board ship and the foddering and watering of the animals are also provided for in detail. I know that these conditions are effectively carried out, both from reports by veterinary officers who have travelled with consignments of horses, from the testimony of private citizens who have also travelled on these ships and from a recent Belgian report which was summarised in the newspapers.
All Governments and veterinary authorities regard the transport of horses by sea as legitimate. Horses have been for very many years and are still shipped regularly from many countries for a variety of purposes ranging from war to racing. It is true that an absolute guarantee against the hazards of nature cannot be given either in the case of human beings (of whom many have been lost at sea this winter) or of live stock but I am satisfied that the conditions applied in this country to the transport of horses by sea not only conform to the highest international standards but are more stringent than those applied in many other countries. In the case of the S.S. City of Amsterdam, there have been references to the length of the voyage but my information is that the unusually long period between the departure of the ship from Dublin and its arrival at Antwerp was mainly due to the fact that the captain, out of consideration for the animals, sheltered off Rosslare for several days. It is also my understanding that the decision of the captain to continue the trip to Antwerp was in no way reprehensible but was arrived at after a fair appraisal of the weather conditions and other relevant circumstances.
While asserting the basic legitimacy of the transport of horses by sea, and the high standard of our regulations, I am of course, as always, prepared to look into any incident which is brought to my notice and I shall continue to see that everything practicable is done to ensure the safety and the comfort of all horses while at sea.