Written answers

Tuesday, 16 June 2015

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

EU Directives

Photo of Tom FlemingTom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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384. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the policy in place regarding micro chips for horses, greyhounds and farm animals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23954/15]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Commission Regulation (EC) No 504/2008 of 6 June 2008 implementing Council Directives 90/426/EEC and 90/427/EEC, which has been transposed into national law via S.I. No. 207 of 2014 (as amended by S.I. 230 of 2015), provides that horses not already identified by 1 July 2009 must be identified by a microchip. To ensure the microchip meets the required ISO standard and the digits are unique to that microchip, the microchip implanted must be obtained from an approved Passport Issuing Organisation. The rules governing the identification of greyhounds are the same as those governing all other dogs. In accordance with S.I. No 63 of 2015 The Microchipping of Dogs Regulations, which I signed intolaw on 20February this year, all pups born from June 2015 onwards must be microchipped by the age of 12 weeks. From September 2015, all pups being offered for sale must be identified by way of a microchip and from March 2016 onwards, all dogs in the country must be microchipped. The Regulations also require that all dogs be registered, with correct contact details, on an Authorised Database.

The rules governing other farm animals such as cattle, pigs and sheep do not require identification by means of a microchip.

The identification and registration of bovine animals is governed by Council Regulation (EC) 1760/2000/EC (as amended) of the European Parliament and the Council which established a common EU system for the identification and registration of bovine animals. This Regulation provides for the use of ear tags to identify bovine animals and there are no provisions contained therein with regard to the microchipping of bovines Sheep and goats are identified by means of ear tagging, in accordance with the provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No. 21/2004, which established a system for the identification and registration of ovine and caprine animals.

Council Directive 2008/71/EC lays down the rules in regard to the identification and registration of pigs. Pigs moving directly to slaughter from the birth holding are identified by means of a slap mark and all breeding pigs and pigs moving from the holding of birth other than to slaughter are identified by means of ear tags.

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