Horse Passports

Mandatory Microchipping 

• A microchip inserter

  From July 2009 new European Union regulations have come into effect concerning horse passports. When applying for a passport microchipping is now mandatory. It is intended that microchipping will make horse identification and the passport system more robust.
• A microchip must only be implanted by a vet.
• Foals need to be chipped before 6 months of age or by 31st December in the year of their birth, which ever is later.
• All foals born now must be microchipped before an owner can apply for an equine passport. Passport application forms can be obtained from a Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) relevant to the breed of horse.
• The microchip is a small implant, about the size of a rice grain, and is inserted by injection into the fibrous tissue of the horse neck.
• After implanting the microchip the vet completes the relevant section on the passport marking the site of implantation. The unique number of the microchip may replace the need for completion of the silhouette diagram on the passport, but this depends on the rules of each PIO and breed society. Other methods of identification such as freeze branding and DNA verification do not replace the need for microchipping.
• An older horse with an existing passport does not need to be microchipped.

 Together at all times 

• A microchip scanner

  A horse must be accompanied by its passport at all times. It is an offence to move a horse without it. Local trading standard officers can ask to see a horse’s passport and failure to produce it can lead to a fine of up to £5000.
• People who keep horses for others (e.g. livery yards, breeders, trainers etc) must make arrangements with each owner to ensure that passports are readily available. It’s an offence to have responsibility for an animal which does not have a passport.
• The passport must be available at the time of treatment if the horse is being given veterinary medication and for recording vaccines.
• Part II of section IX of the passport must be signed by the owner if substances not permitted for human consumption such as phenylbutazone (bute) can be administered, supplied or prescribed.
• In the event of death or euthanasia of your horse then the passport should be returned to the passport issuing company within 30days with information of the date of death.

More information regarding the full current guidelines can be found at, www.defra.gov.uk

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