New equine database aims to protect horses

A new central equine database is being created as part of a “more enforceable” passport system.

Complex and abused

Flaws within the current system, which World Horse Welfare described as one of the “most complex and abused systems in Europe”, were revealed during last year’s horse meat scandal.

“One of the key horse welfare challenges we have is linking a horse to an owner and an overall lack of compliance and enforcement,” said the charity’s chief executive Roly Owers. “With more than 75 passport issuing organisations of varying standards and no central database, finding a horse’s owner and enforcing the regulations was effectively impossible.”

The National Equine Database (NED) was shut down in 2012. It was set upin 2006 and wasthe only central source of information for over million horses in the UK.

Low priority

The Equine Sector Council is now working with Defra to create a new database of all equines in the UK. It is hoped this new system will reduce fraud, improve traceability and owner accountability and prevent the spread of disease.

There are also plans to enforce retrospective microchipping of all horses and ponies, with fixed penalties for non-compliance.

“The new regulations will help, but they alone will not solve the problem,” said Equine Sector Council Chair Jeanette Allen. “A law is only effective if it is enforced, and this is especially true for identification. Government must also support better enforcement which has been a low priority.”