Animals: Euthanasia

Defence written question – answered at on 24 January 2012.

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Photo of Kevan Jones Kevan Jones Shadow Minister (Defence)

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence

(1) pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2012, Official Report, columns 725-6W, on animals: euthanasia, what behaviour falls within the definition of temperament for the horses euthanised in 2011;

(2) what procedure his Department follows for disposal of euthanised (a) horses and (b) dogs;

(3) what his Department's policy is on disposing of (a) horses and (b) dogs that have come to the end of their working life.

Photo of Andrew Robathan Andrew Robathan The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence

holding answer 24 January 2012

The Ministry of Defence's policy is to re-home all military working dogs and horses at the end of their service life wherever practicable.

Regrettably, however, there are occasions when military working animals have to be put down humanely. This action is only ever taken as a last resort, where it is judged to be unsafe to re-home the animal because of the risk it poses to the public, or where veterinary reasons indicate that re-homing it would conflict with the animal's welfare.

Horses are put down humanely for temperamental reasons when their behaviour is judged, by a panel comprising equitation instructors and veterinary officers, to be consistently dangerous to the rider and/or public and with no reasonable prospect of remedying the dangerous behaviour with humane corrective training and re-homing is not possible.

The bodies of deceased military working dogs and horses, that have been put down at the Defence Animal Centre, are disposed of via a contract with Nottingham University Veterinary School. Military working animals that are put down elsewhere are disposed of by local contract in compliance with local regulations.

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