Can You Feed Kitchen Scraps to Horses? What the Law Says

An apple or a carrot handed over the fence is a horse-keeping tradition. Kitchen waste is a different matter entirely — and in some countries the catering waste ban names horses directly, not just by implication.

Horses are named specifically, not swept in by a broad definition

The UK's Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) doesn't leave this to inference for horses the way it might for a less obviously “farmed” species: its guidance defines the ban as covering any farmed animal of any species, “including horses and animals kept solely as pets.” APHA, catering waste ban. It became illegal to feed catering waste to farmed animals in the UK in 2001, and the ban was later adopted across the whole of the (then) European Community in 2003.

A fresh treat isn't the same as catering waste

It's worth being precise about what this actually restricts. Catering waste means waste food that has originated in a restaurant, catering facility or household kitchen — a fresh, whole apple or carrot handed over a fence isn't that. But once produce has been through a kitchen (peeled, chopped, or served as part of a meal and left over), the same ban applies as it would to any other kitchen waste, and APHA's guidance notes even a vegetarian kitchen is covered because of cross-contamination risk from animal-derived products like milk.

Why the ban exists

The 2001 foot and mouth outbreak that led to the ban is widely thought to have started with pigs fed undercooked catering waste, and resulted in the destruction of more than 10 million cattle and sheep. The ban itself was written to cover farmed animals generally, including horses and pets, not just the species involved in that outbreak — APHA's Veterinary Director Simon Hall has described it as “a national barrier to the introduction of potentially devastating animal diseases” across livestock as a whole.

What you can do instead

Stick to purpose-made horse treats, fresh whole produce handed directly (not kitchen leftovers), and a proper forage-and-feed diet for day-to-day nutrition. Our feed guide gives real bodyweight-based figures, and the feed cost calculator turns that into a daily, weekly and monthly budget.

The US: no equivalent federal rule found

The US federal law governing garbage-feeding, the Swine Health Protection Act, is specific to swine and doesn't extend to horses. We haven't found an equivalent federal restriction for horses, which doesn't mean there isn't one at state level — check your state department of agriculture and any local rules before feeding anything that's been through a kitchen.

Sources: Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), “APHA warns not to feed kitchen scraps to farm animals because of disease risk” (11 January 2017): gov.uk. Sources checked: September 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.

Common questions

Is it illegal to feed kitchen scraps to horses in the UK?

Yes. APHA's guidance on the catering waste ban names horses specifically, defining it as covering any farmed animal of any species, 'including horses and animals kept solely as pets' — this isn't an inference from a general livestock definition, horses are named directly.

Doesn't the traditional 'apple or carrot over the fence' habit count as kitchen scraps?

A fresh apple or carrot handed over isn't catering waste under APHA's definition, which covers waste food originating in kitchens. But once produce has been through a kitchen — peeled, chopped, or plated as a leftover — the same ban applies as it would to any other food waste.

Why would a horse be covered by a ban originally about pig disease?

Because the ban was written to cover farmed animals generally, including pets, not just the species involved in the 2001 outbreak that triggered it. APHA's guidance names horses explicitly as covered, regardless of which species or disease caused the rule to be introduced.

Is there a US federal rule for feeding horses food scraps?

Not one we've found. The federal Swine Health Protection Act that governs garbage-feeding is specific to swine — we haven't found an equivalent federal rule for horses, so check your state department of agriculture and local rules directly.