Environment Food and Rural Affairs written question – answered at on 21 May 2013.
Chris Williamson
Shadow Minister (Communities and Local Government)
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(1) if he will estimate the number of racehorses killed outright or destroyed on UK racecourses or shortly afterwards due to injury sustained in (a) flat, (b) all weather and (c) national hunt racing in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012;
(2) if he will make an estimate of the number of racehorses killed outright or destroyed due to training injuries in the UK in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.
David Heath
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
holding answer
These data are not held by Government. However, statistical data on numbers of horse fatalities at racecourses are held by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). The BHA have supplied the following data:
| Flat turf | All weather | National hunt | ||||
| Number of fatalities | Percentage of runners | Number of fatalities | Percentage of runners | Number of fatalities | Percentage of runners | |
| 2010 | 31 | 0.08 | 27 | 0.13 | 167 | 0.53 |
| 2011 | 21 | 0.05 | 15 | 0.07 | 145 | 0.42 |
| 2012 | 33 | 0.09 | 21 | 0.09 | 157 | 0.50 |
The above figures are not Government statistics but provided by the BHA, as required by their rules on horse racing. The BHA do not hold statistics on numbers of race horse fatalities during training because their rules do not require it.
Yes1 person thinks so
No1 person thinks not
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