Poland's celebrated stud farm under microscope after mares' deaths
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
05.04.2016 12:36
Minister of Agriculture Krysztof Jurgiel said on Tuesday that a special horse breeding council will be established in the wake of the deaths of two mares at the famous state-run Janów Podlaski stud in eastern Poland.
Minister of Agriculture Krzysztof Jurgiel (R) and Waldemar Humięcki (L) head of Poland's Agricultural Market Agency (R) at Tuesday's press conference. Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz
Jurgiel declined to confirm whether or not the recently appointed chairman of the stud Marek Skomorowski would have to leave his post, but he said that the stud was being “partly” smeared by those who want to defend the “the old status quo.”
Skomorowski, an economist, had been appointed in February following the Law and Justice party's victory in the 25 October general election.
Former head Marek Trela, who ran the stud from 2000 to 2016, was dismissed together with Jerzy Białobok, chairman of a second state stud farm in Michałów.
Minister Jurgiel noted on Tuesday that an investigation into the deaths of the horses is being carried out by the Prosecutor's Office in the eastern city of Lublin.
The mares were on loan from Shirley Watts, wife of Rollings Stones drummer Charlie Watts.
It is understood that Mrs Watts is having her remaining two horses removed from the stud until further notice.
The latest death occurred on 2 April, following one on 16 March. Both died from abdominal spasms.
Another mare perished in October 2015, prior to the dismissal of Marek Trela.
Jurgiel reiterated on Tuesday that a third party could have been involved in the horses' deaths.
The Rzeczpospolita daily has quoted an unnamed source who claims that tests found that antibiotics suitable for chickens, but dangerous for horses, had been discovered in horse feed.
The February dismissals of managers at the studs made waves in Poland and abroad, with Qatari breeder Sheikh Hamad bin Ali Al Thani commenting: “I do not understand why you are removing all the best experts, thanks to whose efforts everyone came to Poland.” (nh/pk)
Source: PAP