Essex Horse and Pony Protection Society 

Charity Registration No: 297893

A petition was received at 10 Downing Street asking:

“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to improve the regulations regarding the sale of horses and the issue and use of horse passports.”

Details of Petition:

“The sale of stolen horses and horses that are meant to be on loan, has been an issue in the UK for many years. Often sick horses are sold as healthy and ridable, and are therefore being deprived vital medicines. The horse passport system was set-up to tackle these problems but is currently failing to do so and the law needs amending to protect the owners and the animals. It is known that ‘Dodgy Dealers’ are issuing passports for animals that are stolen or that they have no rights to sell. Without Government intervention, it will be impossible to stop this practice. At Essex Horsewatch we are asking for the following: (1) That no horse can be sold/passed on within 3 months of a passport being issued or transfered. (2)That all those who are registered to issue passports are CRB checked as a condition of registration. (3) The creation of a central database to register ownership/Passports that can be checked by police and vets. (4) Horses cannot be sold at official horse sales - in the ring or outside in the car park - without the presence of a independant vet and a member of DEFRA policing the passport system. Please make a difference - sign this petition.”

Read the Government’s response

The Horse Passport legislation was introduced as a means of discouraging the indiscriminate breeding of horses and ponies, which may be of low quality or value.  A requirement of the current legislation is that a passport must accompany a horse being sold.  Potential buyers are able to check that the identifying particulars of a horse for sale are correct, which has led to a reduction in the sale of stolen horses.

The National Equine Database (NED), developed in partnership with the equine industry, is due to be launched on the week commencing 24 November 2008.  This central database will record details of every horse issued with a passport in the UK.  It is envisaged that the NED will benefit the equine industry in providing information for enhanced breeding programmes and research. It should also help to reduce illegal horse sales.

On 6 March 2008 EU Member States reached an agreement on a new European Regulation that will revise existing equine identification legislation.  The main new requirement will be the compulsory microchipping of foals born after 1 July 2009.  The requirement will not be retrospective for older horses and the Regulation will allow for Member States to approve alternative methods to the microchip.

Microchips provide an essential link between a horse and its passport and strengthen the existing horse identification requirements.  Such unique identification of equidae may also prove useful for disease control and surveillance purposes and for the recovery of lost or stolen horses.