Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many horses were slaughtered in abattoirs in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017; and how many of those horses carried passports issued by Weatherbys.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for the delivery of official controls in approved meat establishments (slaughterhouses, cutting plants and game handling establishments) subject to veterinary control within the United Kingdom.

2016 –3,328 Soliped and Equidae were slaughtered

2017 –2,358 Soliped and Equidae were slaughtered

The FSA does not record the number of horses slaughtered. These are recorded under the Soliped and Equidae category. This category includes horses, but other members of the Soliped and Equidae family are also included (mammals, members of which have a single functional digit although the second and third digits persist as splint bones, includes horses, wild horses, asses (donkeys) and zebras).

2016 – 143 had passports issued by Weatherbys

2017 – 127 had passports issued by Weatherbys

Weatherbys passport numbers include: Weatherbys, Weatherbys Thoroughbred, Weatherby Ireland and Weatherbys Irish.