To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent comparative assessment she has made of the number of racehorse fatalities (a) in the first nine months of 2019 and (b) in the same period in 2018; what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the British Horseracing Authority in reducing annual levels of racehorse fatalities; and with reference to the Answer of 16 April 2019 to Question 242198 on Horse Racing: Animal Welfare, what recent discussions officials in her Department have had with the British Horseracing Authority.
Answered on
30 October 2019
The official annual statistics on fatality rates are published on the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) website, in an approach endorsed by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. We would expect the fatality rates for 2019 to be published by BHA in the New Year. Officials regularly meet with a wide range of stakeholders, including the BHA.