Equine passport

Question 1

Who needs one?

Answer 1

Any equid in this country – horse, pony, donkey, mule and related animals including zebras MUSY have a horse passport and must be microchipped unless truly wild. (Law of wild: not managed in any way)

Question 2

What age must a horse have a passport

Answer 2

1. The passport needs to be issued within six months of birth or by 31 December of the year of birth – whatever date is latest – doesn’t matter
2. No minimum age.

Question 3

Does a foal need a passport if sold before 6 months?

Answer 3

YES if being sold without dam or slaughter

however NOT if sold alongside its dam

Question 4

Who can complete the silhouette/sketch?

Answer 4

By vet or person deemed competent by the Passport issuing organisation but ONLY vets can implant microchips in horses and to get passport MUST be microchipped by a vet so usually vet fills in passport

Question 5

What does PICO stand for

Answer 5

Passport issuing organisations

Question 6

When is it ok for a horse not to be accompanied by a passport….

Answer 6

— in emergency situations
— when the horse is stabled or at pasture
— being moved on foot
— participating in a competition/event which requires the horse to leave the venue (e.g. endurance)

Question 7

If horse without passport what if enforcement agency comes

Answer 7

the passport must be made available within 3 hours if requested by an enforcement agency so advised they have it at all times.

Question 8

What if keep horse without passport?

Answer 8

— It is an offence to keep a horse without a passport – applies to keepers with primary responsibility for care of the horse. AND livery yard owners!!! Passport must be on this premises

Question 9

Can you sell horse without passport?

Answer 9

— It is an offence to sell a horse without a passport.

Question 10

When you buy a horse …

Answer 10

It is an offence to see a horse without a passport and you must register yourself as the owner within 30 days

Question 11

When you are presented with a horse what must you check

Answer 11

1. PASSPORT
   - The passport belongs to the horse
   - The horse is signed out of the food chain. If not then ask owner and sign as makes job much easier. Meant to be section 9 but can be anywhere. Can be signed by you, owner, passport person…..
   - Whether the vaccinations are up to date!

Question 12

IF a horse is not intended for human consumption what does this mean with regards to drugs

Answer 12

There is no need to record any drug usage if signed.

Question 13

a few drugs that cannot go into food chain

Answer 13

phenylbutazone, flunixin, metronidazole etc…

Bute causes aplastic anaemia. Awful!

Question 14

Food producing animals can only be treated with….

Answer 14

• Certain substances
• Irrelevant if signed the passport!!!
• A veterinary medicine containing a substance in the ‘legally permitted essential substance list for horses’
• A veterinary medicine that contains a substance listed in ‘table 1 of the commission regulation 37/2010’ (drugs used off the cascade that are licenced in other food producing animals.

Question 15

Phenylbutazone (“bute”):

Answer 15

— Most common oral NSAID used in horses.
— Substances that are not listed on ‘substances essential for treatment of horses’ or on ‘table one of commission regulation 37/2010’ such as Phenylbutazone should not be given to horses intended for human consumption.
— A list of prohibited substances are given on table two of commission regulation 37/2010 (same reference as last slide) e.g. chloramphenicol and metronidazole
— If prohibited substances are given to a horse they must be signed ‘not intended for human consumption’ by either the vet, owner or keeper in charge of the horse
— Also includes intravenous Flunixin preparations as of August 2018

Question 16

If the food chain declaration is not signed then what…

Answer 16

The horse is intended for human consumption
You are required to keep a medicines book and record ALL medicines given to that horse, including batch numbers, date of admin, withdrawal periods.
This includes most wormers, creams and shampoos

Question 17

What if the horse required a prohibited drug on WELFARE grounds e.g. emergency colic and not sure if signed out or not

Answer 17

ask the owner to sign a disclaimer which will detail all treatment that you have administered. The responsibility then falls on the keeper. This is known as an Emergency Treatment Form and can be obtained from BEVA

Question 18

Passport and sale of horse

Answer 18

— An owner who sells a horse must give its passport to the buyer at the time of the sale.
— The buyer must notify the transaction to the passport issuing organisation for registration of the new ownership within 30 days

Question 19

Death of horse and passport

Answer 19

— The keeper must return the passport to the passport issuing organisation within 30 days of death of the horse.
— Lots of owners don’t do this as they consider the passport to be of sentimental value.
— The owner can request the passport be returned to them.
— Come back with pages chopped up and scribbled all over
— Not uncommon for people to do it or not, most don’t. You have no proof that they did or didn’t
— Your responsibility to advise

Question 20

Microchipping

Answer 20

— All horses born on or after 1st July 2009 must be microchipped
— Put in the crest – nuchal ligament. International standard is mid to upper crest on LHS. If non normal location put in passport.
— Not sub cut or muscular as will move
— If born before 1st July June 2009 microchipping is not compulsory and horses are identified by means of the completed silhouette at Section I of the passport.
— Any horse born before 30th June 2009 which has not received a passport must be microchipped when passported.
— From October 2020 it will be mandatory for all owners to microchip their horses, ponies and donkeys. Details will be registered to the new Central Equine Database.
— Only vets and implant microchips in horses.