Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
09:00 – 01 April 2004

 Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael last night hinted at a possible Government U-turn over the export of live horses for slaughter – as he came under intense pressure at Westminster to ban the "abhorrent" trade.

Speaking at the end of a 90-minute Commons debate on the issue Mr Michael, who is also the "Minister for the Horse", said the Government would examine the practical details of this week's vote in the European Parliament that would allow the UK to ban live horse exports.

"It is interesting and it may be helpful," he said. "We are going to look at it in detail."

His comments represent a significant shift from the minister, who has previously insisted that a simple ban on the live export of horses and ponies for human consumption would be "unworkable and unenforceable".

Jo White, campaigns manager for the International League for the Protection of Horses, welcomed Mr Michael's comments as "an encouraging step forward".

But she warned that more pressure would be needed to ensure the Government acted when EU agricultural ministers vote on the issue at the end of this month.

Last year the WMN led a campaign during which 65,982 people signed a petition opposed to the live export of horses, ponies and donkeys for slaughter abroad.

Mr Michael came under intense pressure to act this week after MEPs voted through two amendments with the backing of David Byrne, the European Commissioner for animal health, that would allow the UK to ban the trade.

Shadow Countryside Minister James Gray warned Mr Michael that he would go down in history as the "Minister for Horse Slaughter" if he failed to take up the solution proposed by the European Parliament.

Mr Gray, who rode into Parliament on horseback to highlight the issue, said: "The minister finds himself in an extremely difficult political situation.

"He has the people of Britain against him. His comments today are encouraging, but we need to see firm action.

"We here in Britain love our horses – we do not want to see them exported for slaughter and turned into sausages."

Mr Gray said there was an "overwhelmingly strong moral case" for a total ban.

And he warned that it was "likely" that an export trade would resume unless the minister acted to ban it.

Both Mr Gray and the Lib-Dem rural affairs spokesman Andrew George praised the WMN's "fantastic" campaign on the issue.

Mr Michael yesterday acknowledged that he had been besieged by thousands of letters from concerned members of the public on the issue. And he insisted that the Government did want to block any resumption of the live export trade.

Commenting on the European Parliament's amendments this week he added: "We need to know how it would work in practice.

"I certainly give a commitment to look at that very carefully to see if it gives us something we can use. We are not sure that it will, and I don't want to build up hopes, because I don't think it's the easy stroke that a resolution sometimes looks."

Mr Michael said the Government was still working on its preferred alternative, which would impose tight animal welfare restrictions on horse exports.

Mr George said he would welcome any arrangement that would prevent the resumption of the live export trade.

But he warned Mr Michael that he would prompt such public anger that he would be forced to resign if his plans failed to block the trade.

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