| Q |
I own a horse, how does the new law affect me? |
| A |
You must have a passport for every horse that you own. It is an offence to keep any horse without a passport. There are some exemptions which are listed on the DEFRA website.
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| Q |
What animals are covered by this new law? |
| A |
The legislation covers all ‘Equidae’ this means the family of horses and related animals including asses donkeys, ponies, mules and hybrids. The passport requirement now covers exotic equidae such as zebra.
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| Q |
Why have the Horse Passport Regulations been updated? |
| A |
The main changes were made to strengthen the link between the horse and information about any medical treatment that is recorded on its passport. The aim of this is to reduce the risk of unsuitable horses entering the food chain. The link is strengthened by the use of a microchip implanted in the horse. The passport and microchip details will be recorded on a database.
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| Q |
What are the main changes to the law? |
| A |
Compulsory microchipping of foals and any adult horses that do not have a passport at present
Your horse must be accompanied by its passport at all times, there are some exemptions to this rule which can be found on the DEFRA website
It is now an offence to keep a horse without a passport. This also applies to keepers that have the main responsibility for care of the horse
The vet must see your horse’s passport before he can give it any veterinary medicine
Zebra and other exotic equidae are now covered by the legislation
A new passport format which includes a place to record pedigree details and also a section that is to be used if there is a disease outbreak
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| Q |
Why do horses need passports? |
| A |
Passports are needed to make sure that horses treated with any medicine do not end up used for human consumption if that medicine is not authorised for use in food producing animals.
If the UK had not complied with the passport legislation, we could have lost 70% of available horse medicines that are important for horse welfare in the UK.
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| Q |
I have a foal, when will I need to apply for the passport? |
| A |
Your foal will have to have a microchip and passport by December 31st in the year that they are born or by the time that they are six months old, whichever is the latest.
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| Q |
How do I get a passport? |
| A |
You will need a passport for each horse that you own. You will need to apply to one of the Passport Issuing Organisations ( PIO’s) that have been authorised by DEFRA. After 1st July 2009, your horse must have a microchip implanted before you send in your application.
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| Q |
How do I get a microchip implanted? |
| A |
The microchip can only be implanted by a veterinary surgeon. It is an offence for anyone other than a veterinary surgeon to implant a microchip. The vet will check to see whether the horse has already been microchipped.
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| Q |
My horse already has a passport, will I need a new one and will I need to get him microchipped? |
| A |
No, a valid passport issued before 1st July 2009 will not need changing and the horse will not need to have a microchip under the new rules. However if your passport was issued before 2004 it may need to be updated if it doesn’t include a section IX. If it does not contain this section, you should return it to the organisation that issued it (PIO) for updating.
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| Q |
What happens if I don’t get a passport for my horse? |
| A |
If you do not get a passport for your horse you could be fined up to £5000.
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| Q |
When do I need to have my passport with the horse? |
| A |
You will need to have the passport available at all times except for-
When the horse is stabled or at pasture and the passport can be produced without delay
Moved on foot temporarily from its stable or paddock ( eg ridden out) and the passport can be produced within 3 hours
When the horse is taking part in an event or competition which requires the horse to leave the event venue
If the horse is transported under emergency conditions
More FAQ’s are available on the DEFRA website/
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