TWENTY Irish horses were found on an allegedly illegal live transport vehicle in horrific conditions after being intercepted recently by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) at Dover Port.

World Horse Welfare (WHW) said it suspected some of the horses were being smuggled for fattening and slaughter, despite the UKs live export ban, with those responsible exploiting the EU to EU landbridge the UK now presents.

The equines on board the vehicle included Irish Thoroughbreds, Connemaras and leisure ponies, alongside animals that were being moved legitimately. The declared journey for the consignment began in Northern Ireland. Many of the horses were too sick and weak to travel, yet had been crammed into an unsuitable lorry, where one foal was on the floor and unable to get back on its feet, WHW said.

Dover port officials were alerted to the transporter and upon inspection discovered the ‘downed’ foal, resulting in the lorry being redirected to a holding yard.

WHW field officer Rebecca Carter said: “At the holding facility, I was faced with a heart-breaking scene. The equines were so still and quiet and appeared shell-shocked from their ordeal. A number of the horses were underweight and had strangles, a highly contagious bacterial and potentially fatal infection – with the infected horses suffering from painful abscesses and fever. Two also had pneumonia, and some were suffering from skin conditions and various other health issues.

“There were three unhandled foals, who were matted with faeces as nobody could get hold of them to clean them up. They were completely terrified and, when I approached them, they buried their heads into each other and huddled together in a corner of the stable.

“Overall, it was an incredibly sad sight to see this very mixed group of horses, some of which were fully clipped and shod, so previously well cared for, now looking bewildered.”

At the time of their transportation from Ireland, across Great Britain towards mainland Europe, the UK and Ireland were experiencing extremely stormy conditions, further adding to the suffering of those on board.

Following health and welfare assessments five of the Irish Thoroughbreds sadly had to be euthanised. The charity Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) provided support and funds to cover the costs associated with the two surviving Irish Thoroughbreds. Seven of the 20 horses, which were in better health, were claimed by their owners. The remaining horses were abandoned.

These were signed over by the authorities and, following a period of quarantine, were taken to the WHW Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Norfolk.

“It’s not just the health of these horses which was put at risk, there’s a bigger issue here in that these horses were carrying highly contagious diseases and therefore a biosecurity threat to all those they came in contact with,” Officer Carter added.

Asked if this practice has escalated since the only horse abattoir in Ireland was shut down last summer, a WHW spokesperson said: “Unfortunately, there are no figures for before or after the closure, so it is impossible to tell. However, the practice of exporting animals for slaughter is not unusual – the RTÉ documentary Horses: Making a Killing last year clearly demonstrated that. From our perspective, there is a welfare concern relating to the lack of an abattoir in Ireland, as it means horses are having to be travelled further for slaughter”.