UNNECESSARY EUTHANASIA OF MILITARY HORSES

That this House notes that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) euthanised 28 of its horses in 2011, including four for having a bad temperament; expresses concern that euthanasia is being too readily used by the MoD on its horses; acknowledges HorseWorld's concern and agrees with it that working military horses must only be euthanised as a last resort; and urges the MoD to stick to its own commitments to protect working military animals' welfare as much as possible and to initiate stricter procedures to ensure that horses are only put to sleep whenever it is absolutely necessary.