ALMOST 70 fewer horses were euthanised in 2011
compared to the previous 12 months as a direct result of the clampdown on the
controversial Smithfield Horse Fair, according to the chief executive of the DSPCA.
In the last four months only seven horses in
total have been granted access to the fair on the back of a joint crackdown by
officials and inspectors from Customs, the DSPCA, Revenue Commissioners, Social
Welfare and gardai.
According to Jimmy Cahill, CEO of the animal
charity, this resulted in less horses being left to die on wasteland across the
city and county.
“Last year we took in 126 horses and we had to
euthanise 80, whereas this year we took in 80 horses and we had to euthanise
11,
? he told Northside People.
“That’s purely as a result of the enforcement of
laws at Smithfield.
?
The joint policing effort kicked into action
last April following a number of violent incidents and an ongoing campaign to
have the fair shut down.
Only microchipped horses with passports are
allowed access to the fair, which has severely curtailed the number of traders
that attend each month.
In fact, for the months of September and October
the fair was completely desolate with all-time-low attendance figures.
“We had been campaigning in relation to the
equine crisis and calling for action for eight years,
? Mr Cahill explained.
“It wasn’t that we had a problem with the horse
market; we were simply opposed to the willy-nilly breeding and sale of
sometimes very sick horses for as little as $5.
“Inevitably, we would be called and asked to
take in, treat or put down these horses when they’d been ridden to death and
left for dead.
?
The intense multi-agency approach at Smithfield
Fair saw traders questioned on whether they had a license to trade and if they
paid VAT.
Officials from the Revenue Commissioners have
also been stopping Northern Ireland vehicles to ensure that VRT (Vehicle
Registration Tax) has been paid if the trader’s home address is registered in
the South.
Rogue traders who claim social welfare have also
been targeted by officials questioning how someone on the dole could buy a
brand new vehicle.
Antiquated legislation prohibited the
extinguishment of the controversial monthly market.
Officials say this year’s clampdown was the only
way in which to circumvent the legislation and discourage rogue traders from the
inner city site.
While the clampdown has been widely welcomed by
those opposed to the fair, it has been criticised by horse owners, including
the chairperson of the Finglas Horse and Pony Group, Colm Kiernan.
In a previous interview with Northside People,
Mr Kiernan said young people who regularly attended the fair in the past were
now being discouraged from attending because of the level of questioning from
officials.
“The people from the Revenue would be asking
people for their PPS number and asking them what does their mother work at and
what does their father work at,
? he stated.
“This never happened before.
“The way they are policing the horse fair, the
young fellas are not bringing their horses anymore. The gardai are coming along
to young people and asking them all these questions and the young fellas get a
fright.
?
He added:
“If I was 18 or 19 I wouldn’t like
these questions. These young fellas are afraid to go down there now.
?
Mr Kiernan maintained that the majority of
people who attended and traded horses at the fair were honest, law-abiding
citizens.