WHEN it comes to the law, nobody can claim ignorance as a defence.

And with a largescale Garda investigation ongoing at present into a passport-for-sale scam and falsified equine document and microchipping going on in Ireland’s horse slaughter trade, now is the time to make sure you are compliant with all the requirements when it comes to keeping horses, ponies and donkeys.

An authentic equine passport is a standard legal requirement for all equines – horses, ponies as well as donkeys.

A correctly operating passport system is essential for traceability in the control and prevention of diseases – safeguarding public health – as well as issues of ownership and horse welfare issues including abandonment and theft.

Equine Premises Number

Anyone keeping horses – either their own or horses owned by others – on a premises in Ireland must have an Equine Premises Number (EPN) from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. All of this data is kept on their Central Equine Database.

The Database was established by the department so that a modern record exists of how many horses are in Ireland; what type of animals they are; who is keeping them and where they are located in case of a disease outbreak.

Equine passports

THERE are seven PIO – passport-issuing organisations – currently in operation in Ireland, approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Since January 1st 2016, all equidae in the EU – horses, ponies and donkeys – must be correctly identified with a passport no later than 12 months from the date of their birth and in any event, before moving permanently from the holding of origin. However, to ensure the 12-month deadline can be met, you must submit a completed application form for a passport for your equine to an appropriate, approved PIO not later than six months after the animal’s birth.

Each passport is a lifelong document for the animal in question and contains a UELN – unique equine lifetime number. The first three numbers – 372 – indicate Ireland, the next three relate to the PIO – and the last nine digits are assigned by the PIO to each individual animal.

Completed by a qualified veterinary surgeon, the passport will include details such as hair whorls, colour, all markings and location of markings. Samples of blood/hair will be taken by the veterinary surgeon for DNA testing for the purpose of establishing parentage/breeding for the various studbooks.

The passport also records the age, sex and date of foaling as well as the microchip inserted by the veterinary surgeon into the neck of the animal.

The general rule is that whenever the horse leaves the registered equine premises, the passport is supposed to accompany the animal at all times, be it a trip to the races, sales, a show, a hunt or a veterinary practitioner. The passport must be available to be produced on demand by authorised officials.

Every time a veterinary surgeon medically treats a horse, the passport should be produced and stamped up on the spot. This is ultimately to ensure the protection of the human food chain.

Since July 2014, any change of ownership of an equine requires that the relevant PIO be informed within 30 days of the transfer taking place. Any queries should be directed to the PIO or to the Department of Agriculture’s Animal, Identification and Movement Division (AIM) at 01 5058881.

Horses in the food chain

HORSES that have not been registered within 12 months of foaling are not allowed in the human food chain.

The veterinary medicine section of the passport is stamped by the Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) as “Not intended for slaughter for human consumption (To comply with EU regulations)”.

Horses that have been given certain medications, including the common painkiller phenylbutazone (bute), will also have their passports stamped by the treating veterinary surgeon as not ever intended for slaughter.

Horses with stamped out passports are not eligible to be slaughtered for human consumption.

Enforcement

According to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, enforcement of equine identification legislation is primarily undertaken by authorised officers from his Department’s regional office network.

“These officers work closely with their veterinary colleagues across the various Local Authorities and liaise with members of An Garda Síochána and Revenue Commissioners Officials, as required.

“Authorised officers from my Department engage in checks at sales venues including marts and fairs, as well as at horse slaughter plants and at export points including ports and airports. These compliance checks are ongoing and will continue to be undertaken,” he told Cork Deputy Kevin O’Keeffe earlier this year.