The first horses have arrived at Greenwich Park in time for the Olympic equestrian events at London 2012. Over the next couple of weeks, horses from 40 countries on six continents will be staying in Greenwich Park for the Olympic equestrian events, with 54 coming in for the Dressage and 90 for the Jumping after the Eventing horses have finished their competition. Busiest day of all will be 1 August when no fewer than 39 lorries and 88 horses will go through the ESF en route to Greenwich. A further 78 horses will be on site during the Paralympic Games. There is a purpose-built 24-hour Veterinary Clinic on site, if there is any veterinary need, and an initial health check is carried out by a veterinary team to make sure that the horses have no signs of infectious disease or injury.
Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI

Neil Parish, Conservative MP, has been elected as chairman of the newly-formed All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pigs and Poultry. The new body, formed to campaign and raise awareness within Westminster on pig and poultry issues, held its first meeting last week. Membership is open to MPs and peers of all parties.

An online survey has been launched by the European Platform for the Responsible Use of Medicines in Animals in order to determine how aware stakeholders are of the organisation and the activities it undertakes. Please click here if you wish to participate in the survey, entries close on August 31st.

More than 2500 farmers from across the UK joined forces in Westminster yesterday (Wednesday 11th July) to protest against the milk price cuts which farmers fear could force them out of business. NFU deputy president Meurig Raymond said: "I have never seen such frustration in the farming industry and a show of unity to right wrongs that have been imposed on us in the dairy industry." To rapturous applause and a standing ovation, Mr Raymond called on Farming Minister Jim Paice to provide a "permanent fix" in the form of working legislation over milk contracts.

Dogs Trust, AA and the National Trust are launching a "Hot Cars Can Kill Dogs" campaign in order to raise awareness about leaving dogs locked in cars during the summer months. Over the past year the AA have rescued 832 pets locked in cars and a new survey released by Dogs Trust has revealed 66% of people have seen a dog locked in a car on a sunny day and yet over a third of them did nothing about it.

Battersea dogs home is urging dog owners to ensure their pets have adequate identification, as the charity expects to see a rise in the number of stray dogs during England's quarter-final game against Italy on Sunday. During the last World Cup, the charity saw a 70% increase in the number of stray dogs and in the 24 hours following England's defeat, Battersea took in almost 60% higher than the Home's average daily intake.