New legislation on fly grazing

The Control of Horses Act for England will enable landowners to take fly-grazed horses to a place of safety immediately, notifying local police within 24 hours. If no owner is identified in four working days, the landowner can take action such as re-homing the horses to charities or selling them privately.

Thousands of farmers and landowners across the country are affected every year.

NFU deputy president Minette Batters said: "Fly-grazed horses threaten the livelihood of farmers, damage land, divert local authority resources and risk the safety of motorists when they escape on to roads. This new legislation will enable farmers and landowners to remove unwanted horses quickly and effectively while action will be less expensive to take."

Julian Sturdy MP championed a Private Members’ Bill which successfully passed through Parliament and gained Royal Assent on March 26.

CLA president Henry Robinson said: "It has been very difficult, time-consuming and expensive for landowners to deal with these situations but they can now take swifter action to resolve the problem by, for example, re-homing the horses to charities or privately."

A report highlighting the increasing problem of fly-grazing, “Stop the scourge – time to address unlawful fly-grazing in England”, was published by the CLA in September 2014.

The NFU has produced a “Fly-grazing Farmer Information Pack” containing information including useful tips on prevention, guidance on action that can be taken and signs for on-farm use. It also includes information on the legislative framework associated with fly-grazing, which will be updated as necessary. In addition, some financial assistance will be available to members subscribing to the NFU’s Legal Assistance Scheme – providing a fixed-rate contribution towards the cost of bailiff-assisted removal, as well as other methods set out in the pack. For further information, visit nfuonline.com.