Farm and livery horses
Business: Farming
Information about the welfare of horses on farms and livery yards and how to dispose of waste and fallen stock
1. Looking after horses
A horse is considered to be an agricultural animal if it is used to farm agricultural land or is farmed for meat or hides.
Horses on farms or in stables and livery yards are protected by the Animal Welfare Act. If you own or are responsible for a horse, you have a duty to look after its basic welfare by:
- providing it with a suitable place to live
- giving it a suitable diet
- protecting it from pain, injury, suffering and disease
- making sure it can behave normally and naturally
You can be fined up to £20,000 or sent to prison for up to 6 months if you are cruel to an animal or don't care for it properly. You may also be banned from owning animals in future.
The standards for looking after horses on farms or in livery yards are set out in the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) ‘Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and their Hybrids’.
Failing to follow the Code of Practice could be used against you if you are prosecuted under the Animal Welfare Act.
2. Stables and livery yards
At a livery yard, horses are housed and cared for in return for payment but don’t belong to the owner of the yard.
Health and safety standards for livery yards are set out by the Chartered Institute for Environmental Health.
Planning permission for stables and livery yards
Stables and livery yards require planning permission:
- in England and Wales
- in Scotland
3. Dealing with waste
Horse manure
Horse manure is not considered waste if all of the following apply:
- it is used as soil fertiliser
- it is used lawfully for spreading on clearly identified pieces of agricultural land
- it is only stored to be used for spreading on agricultural land
If you store or spread horse waste near to water, it can be a health hazard and could harm the environment. You will need to follow rules on Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and follow rules on the pollution of groundwater.
Getting rid of solid waste
Solid waste includes things like:
- contaminated bedding
- food containers
- horse manure (if not used as soil fertiliser)
- empty pesticide and other chemical containers
- plastics such as silage wrap, bags and sheets
- tyres, batteries, clinical waste, old machinery and oil
You must use a licensed facility to get rid of solid waste - it's against the law to dump or burn it.
Contact the Environment Agency or your local authority for information on how to get rid of solid waste.
Environment Agency helpline
03708 506 506
Find out about call charges
Some biodegradable waste can be composted. Composting plants must be registered with the Environment Agency. You may need an environmental permit for on-site composting of some materials.
4. Transporting horses
All horses, ponies and donkeys must have a horse passport. Horses cannot be transported or exported without their passports.
You should not transport a horse in a way that may cause it harm or distress. If you are transporting horses for commercial reasons, you will probably need a Certificate of Competence.
5. Death and disease
If you think that a horse has a notifiable disease then you must immediately contact your local Animal Health Office.
Fallen stock
If a horse dies or has to be put down on your premises, you will have to arrange its disposal as fallen stock under animal by-products (ABPs) controls.
This includes:
- entire animal bodies
- parts of animals
- products of animal origin
- other products obtained from animals that are not for human consumption.
You must deal with ABPs promptly to protect people, animals and the environment. In most cases, this will mean arranging for them to be taken away to approved premises, like:
- rendering plants
- incinerators
- collection centres
- storage plants
Your local council can provide a list of approved premises for the disposal of ABPs.
The National Fallen Stock Scheme is a not-for-profit scheme which helps farmers and animal owners to follow the law on disposing of fallen stock.
National Fallen Stock Scheme helpline
0845 054 8888
Find out about call charges