Page 20 - Equine Matters - Summer 2014

Basic HTML Version

HORSE PASSPORTS
Horse
Passports
Explained
Nathalie van Heesewijk BVSc MRCVS,
Penbode Equine
Veterinary Surgeon
Nathalie van Heesewijk
XLEquine Practice
Penbode Equine
19
EQUINE MATTERS
l
identify an animal
l
name you as the legal owner of
the animal
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prevent horses treated with certain
medicines from entering the food chain
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keep record of the vaccination status
of your horse
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prevent the sale of a stolen horse
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allow you to enter competitions.
Passports are important to:
According to European legislation, every
horse, pony or donkey in England must legally
possess a passport (figure 1). This is a paper
document which contains information on
your horse’s age, breed and pedigree,
appearance, microchip number, as well as
the vaccination and medication history.
When do I need to get a
passport?
Legally, a foal must have a passport issued
either before it reaches six months of age or
by the 31st December in the year it’s born,
whichever is later. However, a passport can
be issued at any point in your horse’s life.
How do I get a passport for
my horse?
A vet will need to fill out a passport request
form in the presence of your horse. You can
choose which Passport Issuing Organisation
(PIO) you would like to register your horse
with. There are numerous authorised PIOs,
and each have their own requirements such
as drawing a silhouette (figure 2) or DNA
testing your horse as part of the passport
application process.
Where do I keep the
passport?
The passport should always be kept with
the horse: keep it at the yard and bring it
with you when you travel with your horse.
A passport is valid for life. Should you lose
it, contact your PIO to get a duplicate copy.
When your animal passes away, the passport
must be returned to the PIO for invalidation
but can be sent back to you afterwards.
When do I need to record
medicines given to my horse?
Horses and other equidae are officially
considered food producing species: every
time a drug is administered to your animal, it
must be recorded onto their passport. Certain
drugs such as phenylbutazone (‘bute’ or
Danilon) are completely prohibited in food
producing species.
However, there is an option to sign your horse
out of the food chain. This can be done by
signing ‘section IX’ of the passport. Once
signed, your horse will never be able to
re-enter the food chain, even if he changes
ownership. Once section IX is signed, drugs
administered do not legally have to be
recorded on the passport anymore.
What about Microchips?
All horses born after July 2009 must be
microchipped. This can be performed at the
yard by your vet. Each horse is attributed
a unique number which can be traced back
to you.
What happens when I buy
a horse?
Contact the PIO within 30 days of purchase
to let them know the horse has changed
ownership. The passport must be handed
over to you at the time of purchase so as to
stay with the horse. Also remember to contact
the microchip company if different to the
PIO. If you are buying a horse that has no
passport, contact the Trading Standards
Office before purchase.
Figure 2:
Passport requirements
Figure 1:
An example of a passport