Originally from: frances fish
                        
Dear Mona, Don't know whether you do keep other stock, sheep, cattle ? We have to deal with passports for the cattle only(so far ). We have made similar comments, in that if a cow dies you could keep the paperwork and attribute it elsewhere, no system is perfect and the cattle system is VERY far from that, riddled with errors and wide open to abuse. Well thought out, as is so much of Defra's handiwork ! As regards the medecines, we have to keep a record of all medecines given and the vet can(and does) ask to see this, as can the trading standards officer who occasionally pays us a visit (he only lives down the road and also keeps sheep ). I'm afraid that horse owners are getting sucked into the black hole of burocracy same as the rest of us, its just taken a little longer, that's all. You learn to live with these minor inconveniences and, as usual, if people do not see a need for a certain rule or law, or they see a loophole....well, human nature being as it is, I leave it to your imagination !I would have thought there is more of a concern about the sweeping powers this government gave itself with the Animal Death Bill, horses, cats, dogs, anything can be killed if the minister considers them a risk. How about domestic cats and SARS ? Let's hope not, but they can now do this quite legally. P.S. O/T Try looking up Sourhope Experimental Farm on Google, there is an intersting article which it doesn't seem to want to give me on the connection of Sourhope with "infected premises " Maybe nothing, chasing shadows ? Did you find the article by Ian Gurney on UK Pharmaceutical Co."Economical with the Truth" about vacine tests ? Frances