Animals Act amendment
An attempt to amend the Animals Act (1971) in order to combat rising equestrian insurance premiums has cleared its first hurdle in Parliament.
The Bill received its first reading in the Commons last Wednesday (27 June), just moments after Tony Blair gave his final address to Parliament. It will now have its second reading on 19 October.
The Bill, which was introduced by Conservative MP Stephen Crabb, has been drawn up by the Country Land & Business Association (CLA) in an attempt to cap spiralling insurance premiums (news, 19 April).
The CLA’s Richard Jarman told H&H he was pleased with the Bill’s progress.
“It’s all quite exciting,” he said. “We now have to keep on and reaffirm the new government’s commitment to amending the Act.”
Mr Jarman added that 11 MPs from four different parties had signed up to support the Bill and that he had received encouraging letters from both Michael Howard and Patricia Hewitt.
CLA president David Fursdon will meet with Hilary Benn, the new secretary of state for the environment, on 11 July.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
A Cambridge graduate and big racing fan, Karen joined H&H in 2006 first as deputy news editor, and rose to managing editor, via a stint as acting editor of our sister title, Horse. Alongside being vet page editor and running our annual Young Rider special issue, she oversaw our media agreements, round table features, reader panel and more. Karen left Horse & Hound in 2014.