Rollestone Farm Stud & Livery

Hi all, just a reminder that there's not long to go now before DEFRA's deadline for your response to the Horse Tax.

I wondered if anyone was able to put together a letter of objection that everyone could use and copy and paste to email/post to DEFRA, allowing changes to individuals circumstances.

I'd volunteer but my english isn't great!!!

Here's the email address: RCSharing@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Mark it for the attention of Gavin Ross - he's the person who wrote the consultation letter on the DEFRA Website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consu ... /index.htm

And for snail mail:
Gavin Ross
Responsibility and Cost Sharing Programme
Animal Health and Welfare
Defra
Area 5E Millbank
c/o Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR


Lets overwhelm DEFRA with our responses!!!

Has anyone started an E-Petition on the Downing St Website yet?

Here's my attempt:

For the attention of:

Gavin Ross
Responsibility and Cost Sharing Programme
Animal Health and Welfare
Defra
Area 5E Millbank
c/o Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London
SW1P 3JR

Dear Mr Ross,

Re. the proposed cost sharing for exotic disease preparedness

I am against this proposal for the following reasons:

1) I do not agree that farmers/livestock keepers should foot the entire bill for this when so many of the factors involved in the spread of disease are out of their control, examples being the endemic bovine TB problem in wild animals, and the lack of inspections of imported animals. I agree that farmers/livestock keepers should play their part but we also need an efficient and effective central control. Do we have this? Looking at Foot & Mouth outbreaks recently, the TB crisis, bluetongue etc. it doesn't appear that we do.

2) Why do you need to add equines to the database? Especially when it will cost you an extra £7 million to set up the equine side of the equine database! In recent years money has been taken for NED and horse passports, and now you expect us to pay for yet another database which in my opinion is completely unnecessary.

3) To keep any animals healthy means spending money on food, veterinary care, and the animals' environment. If the Government takes yet more money in this compulsory insurance it means less money available for the basics of animal care. How exactly is that situation going to help the National Herd? It seems to me that it will only be the law abiding passport holders will be charged. How will you find the non passport holders to charge them your horse tax and enforce them to obtain a passport?

4) Recently I read that Defra had spent £300,000 on a study on the effects of rain on birds and the conclusion was that ducks like water. Look also at the fines imposed by the EU for Defra/RPA mismanagement of the Single Farm Payments. Defra appear to waste a LOT of money on inessentials and a LOT of money is wasted by inefficiency/incompetence. You cannot expect farmers/livestock keepers to be happy about parting with yet more money to such a organisation.

5) Your consultaton process is a joke. Why were the dates of the meetings not published in the press before the meetings happened? I only found out about it by chance, and that was two weeks after the meetings scheduled within reach of my home. Secrecy like this gives the impression of a stealth tax; given the unpopularity of the present government I would have thought a little more openness would have been a good idea. I feel that only posting your information on your website is not a helpful/useful process for those of us with animals which were not regarded as agricultural animals!

I await your response eagerly.

Without predjudice,

I have only scanned the above but it looks to be a good letter. I'm not exactly clued up on this horse tax thing, read something in H&H but didn't quite understand. Could you put into simple terms for me?

My understanding is that DEFRA plan to charge horse owners £10.50 per horse per year towards "preventing" diseases that end up with animals being destroyed such as foot and mouth, blue tongue, African Horse Sickness etc etc. Poultry owners will be charged 40p per bird, I think cows will be £4 per cow so on for sheep etc etc. Horses will have the highest charge. DEFRA say that it is still in the "consultation process", however, they didn't publicise the meetings or their intention to have this "tax" except on their own website and refused to publish details in the media. If horses are included in this... it will cost DEFRA an extra £7million to create their new database - this is after we've all just had to pay out for pasports to creatE NED!

In the end, it will only be law abiding citizens that will pay, anyone who doesn't passport their animals won't be able to be traced by DEFRA!!!

I think thats it in a nutshell but anyone feel free to correct me.

Edited to add - insurance will be compulsory and apparently you get no pay out if your horse is culled/slaughtered due to exotic diseases, I suspect the cost will be BIG too!

I had not heard anything about this at all before seeing this post - great that you have explained it, as from the first post I did not know what was going on!!

Can not believe they want to do this ....... it is completely wrong and so typical. Is it just this country who plan to enforce this?

The majority of equines are kept for leisure/pets ect, not as a buisiness/profit like cattle, sheep, pigs ect - why do we get stung with the biggest amount, or any amount for that matter, when most horse owners do not make a penny from keeping these animals - just spend small fortunes caring for them to the highest standards we possibly can...... even less money to put towards their care/upkeep. Hundreds of people can not afford to keep their beloved horses as it is - they keep bumping the cost up little by little.
Makes you wish you had not bothered with passports- as you say it will only be us mugs who do everything correct and as we should who will be able to be traced - almost as though they had this planned when they issued passports

Its apparantly according to defra already in Holland and Germany.

Write to DEFRA and your MP. I really can't stres that enough

I've just emailed the following MP's:



David Cameron – Leader of Conservative Party

Nick Herbert – Shadow thing for Food and Rural & Agricultural Affairs etc etc ( )

Michael Wills – Labour MP

Anne Snelgrove – Labour MP

Robert Buckland – Conservative Candidate



My brian hurts now

Wonder if I'll get any reponses



Will let you know if I get anything back.

David Camerons was read first. Go tories go!!!!

Someone else to write to (stolen from Horse and Hound):


East London MP Jim Fitzpatrick appointed minister for the horse

Abigail Butcher, H&H news editor

10 June, 2009


Minister for the horse, Jane Kennedy, resigned on Monday after refusing to pledge her support for Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

In her place, Mr Brown has appointed East London MP Jim Fitzpatrick.


Mr Fitzpatrick, a former parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department of Transport, takes over as minister for food, farming and the environment. The 57-year-old football fan also takes over as minister for the horse.


In her year in office, Jane Kennedy openly pledged her support for the horse industry, but in reality had the chance to achieve very little. Sudden ill health prevented her from addressing the National Equine Forum in London in March — a much-awaited chance for the industry to pose questions to the minister.


In her place, Jim Fitzpatrick appears on the surface to be as far removed from horses, farming and the rural environment as is possible.


MP for Poplar and Canning Town, Mr Fitzpatrick moves up from his role at the Department of Transport. He was previously parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department of Trade and Industry.


The Glasgow-born MP has lived in London since 1973, and is a former fire-fighter.


On his website, www.jimfitzpatrickmp.co.uk, the new minister for food, farming and environment lists his interests as "anti-poverty, regeneration, anti-racism and fire" and his hobbies as "West Ham United FC, golf, reading, TV/films and Millwall RFC."


He also states: "I am here to promote the East End of London"


There is no mention of any interest in rural affairs on his website at all.


After her resignation on Monday, Jane Kennedy told leading news agency The Press Association: "All of my friends know about my unhappiness with the style of politics Labour are exhibiting.


"If you are a minister in Government you have to support the Prime Minister that appoints you. You are asked 'do you want to be in government?'. The straight answer is yes. But could I support the Prime Minister? I could not."


A spokesman for Gordon Brown said he regretted Ms Kennedy's decision.


Hilary Benn will continue as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.



Thats great, a minister for horses with no interest in horses!!!!!!!!!!!!! Typical!!!!!

DEFFRA have told me that the BHS are supporting this i will check it out.

I have just spoken to Emaleen in the Welfare at the BHS and they are NOT supporting this so DEFFRA lies yet again.
There is a lot of meetings and work going on at the BHS behind the scenes.
I have mailed Giles Chichester, Prospective tory mp Hannah Foster. Its quite easy to do go to their websites and click on the contact no effort needed so get mailing we are running out of time and dont want to be stuck with a 10.50 tax because people didnt bother to respond.

Just phoned Jim Fitzpatrick constituency office, they couldn't answer any questions and referred me to:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/minis ... atrick.htm

hmmm typical i know what i would like to say cant put it on here though.
If everyone wrote or rang him then they would have to comment.