What is fly-grazing?
‘Fly-grazing’ describes the deliberate and illegal act of grazing horses on private or public property without the owner’s permission. These horses are often abandoned and neglected.
A leading horse charity and sanctuary, Red Wings, has seen a rise in the number of horses being reported as abandoned.
Despite the Animal Welfare Act (2006) ruling animal abandonment illegal, the numbers of horses left fly-grazing are on the rise.
“We have seen many cases of neglect through abandonment over the last few years. It’s a very serious problem,” said the charity’s Press and Communications Manager, Nicola Markwell.
In particular, young colts [males] are being abandoned as these are of least value, she explained.
Nicola Markwell stated: “We’ve taken in 97 abandoned horses, from Wales, since 2011 and we’ve helped with the round-up of many more.”
The Welsh Assembly has recently released a new draft legislation in an attempt to tackle fly-grazing in Wales.
What is fly-grazing?
‘Fly-grazing’ describes the deliberate and illegal act of grazing horses on private or public property without the owner’s permission. These horses are often abandoned and neglected.