Press release from the German Equestrian Federation (FN)

A new Bundestag will be elected on 26 September. The
German Equestrian Federation (FN) has asked the political parties for their positions on issues affecting riders, drivers, vaulters, horse owners and breeders. The positions of the CDU/CSU, SPD, Alliance 90/The Greens, FDP, The Left and AfD were sought. This week, the FN received responses from the parties. The FN has set these out side by side in the overview ‘FN Election Benchmarks’. The responses come exclusively from the parties themselves.

The FN put the following questions to the parties:
1. Question on animal welfare
: For us, horses are partners in sport and leisure. They are also farm animals within the meaning of the Animal Welfare Act (TierSchG), with privileges granted to the agricultural sector. Does your party plan to impose restrictions on the use of horses in sport and leisure? Does your party intend to maintain the privileges for farmers who keep horses?

2. Question on competitive sport / grassroots sport
What is your party’s stance on supporting volunteer-run grassroots, club and competitive sport? How do you intend to safeguard/maintain the non-profit status of more affordable (equestrian) sports clubs for the general public, which also serve to promote psychosocial and therapeutic health?

3. Question on energy and climate
protection Horse manure is a renewable energy source and, according to EU guidelines, can be burnt highly efficiently with almost no residue. German legislation classifies it as waste. What support can we expect for the incineration solution as our contribution to the use of renewable energy?

4. Question on the environment and land use
Does your party advocate for uniform, liberal access rights across Germany to fields and
woodlands for equestrians engaging in leisure and sport in the countryside?

5. Question on the environment and biodiversity
Due to excessive land consumption (approx. 70 ha per day), coupled with the need for corresponding compensation areas for nature conservation and environmental protection measures, horse owners and breeders have less and less green space at their
disposal. What is your party’s position on the preservation and expansion of permanent grassland through horse husbandry?

6. Question on breeding and agriculture
We call for a defined and codified tolerance level for wolves, with unbureaucratic culling options to protect grazing animals in open-stable systems, in accordance with the guidelines for horse husbandry issued by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL). What is your party’s position on wolf management and population control?

7. Question on the social significance of the horse
What importance does your party attach to the horse in sport, breeding and husbandry within society? This is particularly relevant in relation to the future of club activities, especially
through the involvement of young people? And what approaches do you take to specifically promote voluntary involvement in organised sport?

8. Question on the economic significance of the horse
The social ‘value of the horse’ is also an economic factor (industry turnover of 7 billion euros per year). How does your party assess the horse as an economic factor? What would your party do to help this sector grow? And what support can we expect from your party in this regard?


Click here for the answers