Equine cremation scam leads to rethink
The Association of Private Pet Cemeteries and Crematoria (APPCC) are asking vets to change the way they sell equine cremation services.
The call comes after Phil Cooper, owner of John Cooper Livestock Services, was found guilty of charging owners hundreds of pounds for individual cremations that never took place.
Mr Cooper was last year given an eight-month suspended prison sentence, fined, and ordered to pay compensation to his 26 "cash for ash" victims.
Currently, equine cremation is unregulated and licensing only applies to animal disposal. As a result, the APPCC is urging vets and horse owners to check they're actually getting what is being paid for.
APPCC Director Kevin Spurgeon said: "The vets involved need to ask themselves whether they failed to protect their clients by not knowing exactly where Mr Cooper was taking the horses referred to him.
"Vets should ensure they have full written working practices from their contractors and carry out regular site inspections."
The APPCC has a code of practice, which it says is well-respected by its members, as well as an after-death charter describing the different options. However, Mr Spurgeon believes with so many non-members operating many different levels of pet cremation services, it is impossible to guarantee customers will get what they are paying for.
"Even if all pet crematoria signed up to a set of standard definitions for the different services on offer, it would still be very difficult to police them to ensure they are carrying out the service in line with the description.
"The question is, therefore, whether vets should run the risk of selling pet cremation services or let the public decide the after-death care route they want for their pet."
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
