Jonathan Djanogly, the Member of Parliament for the Huntingdon Constituency, in a debate in the Commons, has called on the Government to do more to assist the growing risk to horses caused by the common ragwort weed.
Mr Djanogly said:
"It is expected that over 1000 horses will die this year due to ragwort poisoning. I therefore spoke in support of the Conservative led Private Members Bill, which would force the Government to issue a code of conduct ensuring that people and organisations are aware of the threat posed by ragwort and the need to take action to remove it from their land.
I was delighted to see that the Bill cleared its Second Reading in the House with Government support and I will continue to support this Bill during its passage through the House.
I also took the opportunity of this debate to support horse riding and our stables, which have had a very hard time over recent years due to new red tape, Foot and Mouth Disease, threats to abolish hunting and being frequent targets of rural crime.
Millions of people in our country gain enormous enjoyment from riding and it provides employment for thousands in rural areas. I do therefore consider the health of our horses to be an important issue and I was very pleased to see this subject addressed in Parliament."