Changes to the identification of equines Banning letting agent fees paid by tenants Changes to the identification of equines Department for Environment, Food and Rural affairs, May 2017 CTSI views inaccurate, out-of-date data as an enforcement weakness leading to a lack of traceability. The UK Central Equine Database (CED) needs to be a robust, simple-to-operate, user-friendly tool that can be accessed and operated in a timely fashion. It should also be open to use by enforcers, with wide-ranging search facilities for accessing details such as owner, address, postcode and animal microchip number. Giving owners the option to notify changes to their records online should increase reporting and compliance although some sectors of the equine community may not use such technology. Passport-issuing organisations (PIOs) need to update the CED within 24 hours, as regulators including Food Standards Agency officials, when horses are presented for slaughter need accurate, up-to-date information available on demand. The CED must be accurate on the status of the animal and its eligibility for slaughter, and CTSI agrees that the horse owner, or their designated agent, should be responsible for reporting changes in details to a PIO. CTSI agrees with any derogation allowing defined populations of horses living under wild and semi-wild conditions such as in Dartmoor, the New Forest, Exmoor and Wicken Fen to be exempt from the requirement to be identified, if this helps endangered breeds to survive. But there should be clear, concise guidance on the eligibility criteria for exemptions. CTSI supports the government extension of microchipping requirements to include all horses including foals born after (or horses not identified before) 1 July 2009 as traceability is vital for food safety. Microchipping plus keeper/owner checks for animal welfare and traceability can bring additional benefits in an exotic-disease outbreak, and can help in identifying the owner of an animal when horses have strayed, been stolen or been dumped/fly-grazed. Such a legal requirement, if introduced, should be phased, with a cut-off date for completion. Lead officer: Stephanie Young For more details and to contribute to consultations such as these, visit www.tradingstandards.uk Credits Images: iStock.com / hedgehog94 To share this page, in the toolbar click on You might also like CTSI has its say June 2017 / AlexRaths Banning letting agent fees paid by tenants Department for Communities and Local government, June 2017 On the question of whether transparency measures, introduced in the Consumer Rights Act 2015, have helped to drive up standards and improve competition, CTSI considers it is now well established that to make informed purchase decisions before they are contractually committed consumers need clear, unambiguous information material, provided in a timely manner. Price is always material information for consumer services including for tenancy agreements so an upfront, accurate price should contain the full charge for the service(s) provided, with any optional additional costs displayed transparently. This ensures people are able to compare which tenancy contract suits their needs, driving up standards and improving competition, asconsumers can make informed purchase decisions and differentiate between market options. However, the full effectiveness of the requirements may not have been realised, as the government by not funding the local authority trading standards services given responsibility for them has failed to resource enforcement of the provisions properly. Trading standards services have been stretched to breaking point, with their budgets reduced, and staff levels falling by more than 50 per cent since 2010, so adding enforcement responsibilities without funding and prioritisation is bound to lead to ineffective enforcement. CTSI argues it is not a solution, in banning letting fees, to suggest that funding for enforcement should come from fines levied. Staff capacity among trading standards services facing enforcement responsibilities across more than 250 pieces of legislation is simply insufficient to make that effective. In London, with a higher proportion of private landlords and letting agents than most other areas, the lack of capacity for enforcement within the trading standards system has already become apparent. Areport from London Assembly member Sian Berry, Letting them get away withit, highlighted the patchy enforcement of the letting fees aspect of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Response compiled by: CTSI lead officer and policy executive, Craig McClue For more details and to contribute to consultations such as these, visit www.tradingstandards.uk