Horse rehoming program suspended after discovery of illegal slaughter site

The government-ordered probe, which begins on Monday, will examine allegations the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) failed to comply with its guidelines when rehoming more than 250 wild horses to a person with links to the alleged slaughtering of the animals.

Wagga City Council revealed on April 17 it was investigating the mass slaughter of 500 horses after carcasses were found at a property near the city.

Animal Justice Party MLC Emma Hurst subsequently called for an inquiry to investigate the NPWS's rehoming program.

Ms Hurst said she had been told at least 250 of the horses involved were brumbies from the Kosciuszko National Park that had been rehomed through the program.

On Friday, the secretary of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water announced an external professional services firm had been engaged to conduct the investigation, with a final investigation report due to be provided by June 14.

The wild horse rehoming program has been suspended until the investigation is complete, and the findings and recommendations of the investigation have been considered and implemented.

The investigation will focus on general questions and also those specific to alleged knackery and "a person of interest", a spokesperson for the department said.

The probe will aim to seek answers to questions about how wild horses were allocated by NPWS to applicants under the program and what was required in order to be approved as a rehomer under the program.

It will also examine whether the NPWS was required to make regular checks or inquiries about the appropriateness for an approved rehomer to be receiving horses.

In relation to the alleged illegal knackery, the probe will investigate the supply of wild horses to the person accused of running the operation, how those horses were allocated to them and whether all protocols were followed.

Whether there was any follow up or monitoring - formal or informal - regarding the rehomer will also be investigated.

On Friday, Ms Hurst said an "internal departmental investigation" was not good enough.

"A full investigation is needed to figure out how this was allowed to occur, but a full moratorium on the killing of brumbies needs to come into effect while this occurs, not just a pause on rehoming while killing is ramped up," she said.

"We need to investigate what the department knew, and any failures to follow appropriate safeguard and procedures around the rehoming of brumbies.

"An internal departmental investigation, behind closed doors, is not sufficient.

"What we need here is full transparency - that is why I am setting up a further hearing of my inquiry into brumby killing, so these matters can be investigated and ventilated in a public forum."

The current NSW parliamentary inquiry into the proposed aerial shooting of brumbies in the Kosciuszko National Park will hold an additional hearing, possibly in early May.

Wagga MP Joe McGirr said while he welcomed the investigation, its findings must to be made public.

"The important thing is that we have a transparent inquiry to establish the facts," Dr McGirr said.

"I think given the concerns that have been raised and the allegations that have been made, I think that's sensible.

"The important thing here is that we want that [rehoming] program to continue. It has operated, as I understand it, to this point successfully.

"There weren't issues raised previously ... I think it is a program that people support, but we have to have confidence in it, that's important as well."

Advocacy director of the Invasive Species Council Jack Gough backed the government's decision to suspend the rehoming program while an investigation was undertaken.

"While we support rehoming as one management option for feral horses, there must be strict protocols to ensure the high welfare risks involved are reduced," Mr Gough said.

"Rehoming feral horses is often assumed to be a more humane option than shooting, but the reality is very different. Horses that are rehomed go through enormous stress and are often injured in the process.

"The process involves rounding up, capturing, confining and transporting large wild animals that are not used to human contact and are often in poor health already.

"Many of them are so stressed or sick or injured from this process that they have to be shot anyway."