BHA says policy in party’s manifesto ‘would not help’ advance horse welfare in racing
Horse racing got a walk-on part in the Liberal Democrat manifesto, published on Wednesday, in the form of a pledge to “establish an independent regulatory body for horse welfare to prevent the abuse and avoidable deaths of racehorses”. The policy, which was passed at the party’s 2018 conference, “would not help” advance horse welfare in racing, according to the
British Horseracing Authority, which currently has responsibility in this area.
A BHA spokesman, responding to the manifesto, said that racing “has a clear track record in delivering improved welfare outcomes for our horses. British racing’s evidence-based approach has already significantly reduced avoidable risk – an approach endorsed by Defra – and we have a clear ambition to reduce this further through our investment in a predictive risk model.”