HORSE lovers across the two counties are being urged to support a campaign this Christmas to stop the live export of British horses and ponies to Europe.

The International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) has launched its "Say No to Live Exports" campaign with an on-line petition and dedicated phone line.

In July this year, the European Commission published its new draft regulations concerning the EU Animal Transportation Directive.

This new piece of draft legislation has nothing written into it to allow for the UK Minimum Values legislation which is designed to stop low value horses and ponies being transported to Europe and has protected British horses and ponies for 30 years.

The ILPH fears that it may no longer be legally recognised by the EU

"This would lead to our horses and ponies once again being at risk from entering the slaughter horse traffic and joining others on a long, distressing journey to their death," explained Linda Freebrey, Press officer for the ILPH.

"The league feels that the current British equine passport legislation, due to come into force in July 2004, could make the situation worse," said Linda.

"The equine abattoirs which take between 10,000 and 12,000 horses and ponies annually say that because of the way that the Government's Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has put the legislation together, they will close down operations by the July 2004 deadline.

"Where will those horses and ponies go if UK Minimum Values legislation isn't put on a sound footing in Europe? The answer is too horrible to think about so we must act now to stop it happening.

"The petition already has more than 26,000 signatures and I am urging people in Herefordshire and Worcestershire to sign it now."

Since its foundation more than 75 years ago, the ILPH has been campaigning to stop the export of horses abroad for slaughter for human consumption.

Initially in 1927, when Ada Cole founded the ILPH, it was to stop worn out British work horses, made redundant through the advent of mechanisation, being exported alive to Europe to be bludgeoned to death in the notorious French and Belgian abattoirs.

A decade later, in 1937, the Exportation of Horses Act, which established the principle of Minimum Values, received Royal Assent.

This Act was drafted by Sir George Cockerill MP, who was at that time the director of the ILPH.

But it wasn't until the end of the 1960s that Minimum Values legislation was finally put onto the statute books.

In a nutshell, this legislation stops low value horses and ponies from being exported from the UK to mainland Europe.

If their value is under the "minimum value", which is regularly reviewed and is set above the meat value for horses and ponies of different heights, then they will not be granted an export licence.

This piece of legislation has effectively stopped the export of all equines for slaughter from Britain by making the trade uneconomic.

It is indisputable that, over the years, this has saved thousands of our horses and ponies from a long, tortuous and inhumane journey to the slaughterhouses on the continent.

With this UK legislation firmly in place, the ILPH turned its full attention to the plight of the many thousands of Europe's horses that were being exported into the European Union for slaughter for human consumption each year.

Since the break-up of the Soviet Union 12 years or so ago, tens of thousands of horses from Eastern European state studs and those working on the land have joined the live traffic of horses and donkeys travelling from their country of origin into the EU for slaughter.

With countries such as Poland specifically breeding horses for the trade, in 2001 alone, 133,353 horses and donkeys were imported into the EU for slaughter for human consumption, with around 85 per cent of them going to Italian abattoirs.

Those horses and donkeys destined for Italian abattoirs may already have travelled for days by the time they reach the border crossing into northern Italy, but their journey may not end in the north.

Many are destined for slaughter on one of the Mediterranean islands off Italy's southern tip.

Having started their journey in cold weather conditions in northern Europe, possibly a week later without having left their lorry for rest, food or water, they may await a ferry in the fierce heat of an Italian dockside.

All dehydrated, some collapsed, others exhausted beyond hope, they await their fate.

The ILPH believes that slaughter horses should not suffer the horrors of long distance transportation to the abattoir - they believe that they should be slaughtered in their country of origin.

To this end, they work tirelessly with the European Commission and the European Parliament to, in the short term improve welfare conditions for those caught up in the trade and, in the long term to put an end to the live traffic altogether.

To achieve their goals they are in discussions with the EC as well as exporting countries and those candidate countries coming into the EU in 2004, to improve the conditions under which horses are transported throughout Europe, especially those imported into the EU.

Contact is maintained with Chief Veterinary Officers of the relevant countries and new relationships are constantly being forged to ensure that the ILPH can influence future changes in legislation and enforcement.

n All those who are horrified at the thought of the resumption of this traffic are urged to support the ILPH campaign Say No to Live Exports. Those with internet access can add their name the ILPH on-line petition, currently at 26,000 signatures, at www.ilph.org

Others can support the campaign by phoning the dedicated Say No to Live Exports phone line 0870 906 1927 to ask for a campaigns pack.

This pack includes information on the campaign, a sample letter to Margaret Beckett MP, a poster and a blank petition.