The Western Morning News is to continue its fight for a ban on the export of live horses, ponies and donkeys to the Continent after crucial European talks on the issue collapsed without agreement.

It had been hoped that an opt-out within a draft EU Regulation aimed at improving the conditions in which animals are transported across Europe – where transporting them is legal – would allow Britain to continue its own ban on the cruel trade.

But as European agriculture ministers met in Luxembourg this week to discuss new animal transport rules, it became clear that an agreement would not be reached and the talks were abandoned.

This leaves a question mark over the legality of exporting horses from the UK for slaughter on the Continent.

It emerged that rules that have existed in Britain for many years were on shaky ground under EU law because they may restrict free trade between member states.

The Plymouth-based newspaper has been campaigning for a ban since August.

More than 65,000 readers signed petitions calling on the Government to lobby EU colleagues for the right to ‘opt-out’ of the law – and the WMN won a partial victory when, just before the meeting in Luxembourg, the Department For Environment, Food and Rural Affairs agreed to back the opt-out clause.

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