Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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81. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the fact that it is taking the Connemara Pony Breeders Society up to ten weeks to issue passports for Connemara ponies and that this is holding up the sale of ponies for farmers with a scarcity of grass and fodder; the steps he will take to remedy this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29994/16]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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As part of its breeding programme, the Connemara Pony Breeders’ Society commissions DNA testing on all horses it registers. This process is conducted by a specialist laboratory independent of the Society and the speed at which the Society issues passports to owners is contingent on the completion of the parallel test process. Commission Regulation 2015/262 concerning equine identification prevents a passport being issued by the issuing body until this information is received.

My Department has contacted the Connemara Pony Breeders Society regarding its passport issuing process and have been informed that a large volume of applications were received during the past three months. Connemara Pony Breeders’ Society advise breeders to register equines immediately after birth, therefore minimising passport turnaround time.