Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 379: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is satisfied that the passport system for the equine industry is working as required under the legislation; the number of animals that have been found to date to have been moved without a passport and have been detected by his Department; the number of animals that have been stopped in transit due for export due to the fact they did not have correct passports or identity documents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13617/10]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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European Commission Regulation No. 504/2008 set out an improved system for the identification for equidae and is binding on all Member States of the European Union. All keepers of horses, passport issuing bodies and veterinary practitioners are obliged to comply with the provisions of this Regulation. The enhanced system for identifying equidae has three elements (1) an equine passport; (2) a microchip implanted in an equine to create an unequivocal link between the passport and the equine and (3) the assignment of a unique equine life number to the equine in the database of the approved passport issuing organisation. I am satisfied the approved passport issuing organisations are operating in compliance with this Regulation this country.

Regulation 504/2008 requires that all equines must have a passport, foals must be identified in accordance with the Regulation within six months of birth.

Keepers of equines must have passports for their animals in order to be eligible to participate in a wide range of events and activities across the equine sector e.g. thoroughbred breeding and racing, showjumping, competitions, shows, sales and also if certain veterinary medications are to be availed of. Equines cannot be considered for slaughter for human consumption unless they have a passport.

My Department does not maintain a record of instances where equines are found without passports, there is no requirement to do so. Officials from my Department who carry out checks of equine passports at Rosslare and Dublin ports have found in recent years near 100% compliance with the requirement for horses to be accompanied by passports; they observe that on foot of publicity campaigns undertaken by my Department in recent years there is a high level of awareness amongst those involved in the equine industry of the passport requirements.