FARMING: No horsing around over passports!

Meaning there is only seven more days left to comply with the new rules! Previously only horses born after the 30th June 2009 were required to be microchipped however the new legislation includes all equines, regardless of use or age.

Identification and passport details of every horse plus ownership details will now be stored in a new ‘Central Equine Database’ and owners will be able to flag if their horse is missing or stolen, making it difficult for them to be

sold on.

To apply for a passport you can contact your preferred breed society to ask for a template or we can provide our own paperwork through the Horse Passport Agency.

Your vet will then complete the drawing and insert a microchip if required, and the completed paperwork is then sent with payment by the owner directly back to the passport supplier.

Even if you think you have a valid passport now is a good time to check it thoroughly and ensure it is up to date. Important details include current owner (which should be updated within 28 days of acquiring a new equine), correct address, is a microchip present or registered within the passport, and has the passport been signed out of the food chain? Although most equines within the UK do not enter the food chain section IX part II of the passport must be signed by a veterinary surgeon in order to certificate this, it is especially important if the horse has ever received anti-inflammatory drugs such as phenylbutazone (bute).

I have recently come across a forged passport which was made of A4 paper folded and stapled together! If in doubt please ask your vet to double check everything is as it should be. Please also remember when transferring ownership of an equine, the microchip is usually registered through a different company, and it is therefore important to provide the microchip company with the new owner’s address.

In order to help us complete the drawing efficiently, please ensure your horse, pony or donkey is clean and well groomed, and in a well-lit stable, or outside if the weather permits.

If providing us with specific breed society paperwork it also helps if you could pre-fill certain data such as the horse’s name to be registered and birth details if known. For any further questions about passports, ID drawings or microchips, please give us a call on 01670897597.