High standard of farriery must be maintained

Roger Williams, MP for Brecon and Radnorshire and Liberal Democrat Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson, has voted against the proposal to recognise farrier qualifications from other EU member states in the UK.

Speaking after a debate on the issue, Roger Williams MP said:

"Farriery is a very highly skilled profession and the level of expertise amongst British farriers is particularly high.

"Due to an EU Directive that all qualifications should be recognised across the Union, there is a risk of EU farriers seeking employment in the UK.

"While I am not opposed to EU citizens seeking employment in the UK it is important that the high standards associated with British farriery are not damaged.

"A Liberal Democrat peer spotted this piece of legislation being passed and brought it to the attention of the House.

"Under this proposal EU citizens who have practiced farriery for over two years would be able to gain employment for a year and those who have practiced farriery for over six years would be able to gain permanent employment.

"The problem with this is that a number of EU countries do not have recognised farrier qualifications and their farriers are judged on experience. If a farrier has worked for over six years there is no indication of how much actual experience in terms of work hours they have obtained.

"There is also a public safety issue: a poorly shoed horse is a risk not only to the rider but also to members of the public and other road users."