24/02/2022

IHP: “This is quite a frequent phenomenon, controls are still inadequate”

Sonny Richichi, President of Italian Horse Protection, comments on the operation of the Carabinieri of the Nas in Bari:  “They deserve all our praise and we will support them actively”

“We want to applaud the Nas in Bari, but we also want to emphasise that these phenomena are not rare or restricted to just one region. Actually, these phenomena are quite common due to the lack of an efficient and effective ID registration system for  horses from the start. Last September, the register was moved from the Ministry of Agricultural Policy to the Ministry of Health, but the transfer is still ongoing. The problem has not been remedied only because there’s been a transfer of responsibility”. 

This is how Sonny Richichi, President of IHP, comments the news after the Carabinieri of the Nas (division of the Carabinieri that monitors the origin and preservation of food and drink products, the butchering of livestock and the trade of drugs for human and veterinary use) of Bari carried out an inspection at a slaughterhouse in Foggia and legally seized 16 foals and a horse that were found to have been registered illegally  and ready to be sent to slaughter..

“IHP - added Richichi – manages the first Rescue Centre for mistreated horses authorised by the Italian Ministry of Health and we have been asking for a radical reform of the horse registry for a long time. We often receive requests for help, for example from horse owners who have had their horses stolen and no longer have any news of them.  Sometimes some microchips correspond to old stable codes or old structures and it is impossible to trace the horses and know what happened to them”.  

On the case of Foggia, concluded Richichi, “we will actively seek more information, to understand - as we expect - whether those responsible will be punished.  If those horses were transported illegally, someone will have to be held accountable. We will also ask for information about the status of the horses, and if the judicial authority intends to proceed with confiscation or a subsequent custody".

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