Welsh Government pledges £150k to fight fly grazing
The Welsh Government is pouring an extra £150,000 into fighting fly grazing.
Over the past few years large numbers of horses have been abandoned in publicly owned spaces, common land and private land in Wales.
The majority of fly grazing incidents have occurred in Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend where local authorities, the police and charitable organisations are taking an increasingly robust approach to dealing with the issue.
Welsh deputy minister for agriculture, Alun Davies, said: “The behaviour of those horse owners who seek to avoid their responsibilities through the practice of abandonment or fly grazing will not be tolerated anywhere in Wales.
“I would strongly advise landowners who find themselves victims of fly grazing to come forward and report incidents and any associated anti-social behaviour.”
He said the one off extra funding would help meet the significant legal costs of prosecutions already in hand and planned against the perpetrators of fly grazing.
“The Welsh Government, working in close and effective partnership with the police, local authorities and welfare charities, is determined to deal with the problem, swiftly and robustly,” he said.
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Carl Sargeant, minister for local government and communities said: “The additional funding demonstrates the commitment of the Welsh Government to resolve the problem and encourage local authorities to put consistent and effective arrangements in place based on sound legal practice.”
He said he hoped that by addressing fly grazing they would reduce the demand on local authorities and emergency services responding to loose or trapped horses.
“There is a clear commitment and a willingness from all agencies involved to work together in a robust manner to deal with this problem,” he added.
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.