Written answers

Thursday, 8 November 2018

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Equine Identification Scheme

Photo of Fiona O'LoughlinFiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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189. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of prosecutions since January 2013 with regard to the failure of owners to chip their horses. [46167/18]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The rules in relation to the identification of equines are determined at EU level. Current requirements are governed by Commission Implementing Regulation 262/2015, which came into effect on 1st January 2016. This legislation was transposed into national legislation via S.I 62 of 2016 (as amended).

CR 262/2015 revoked and replaced Commission Regulation 504/2008 , which came into effect on 1st July 2009 and which introduced the requirement for each equine to be implanted with a microchip by a veterinary practitioner at the time of initial identification.

Article 12(1) of CR 262/2016 provides that all equines must be identified with a passport no later than 12 months from the date of birth of the animal. Each equine must be implanted with a microchip by a veterinary practitioner, the number of which must be recorded on the corresponding passport, on the database of the issuing Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) and on the central equine database maintained by my Department. This establishes the link between the animal and its passport document.

Equines identified with a passport prior to 1st July 2009 are deemed to be identified properly even though they have not been implanted with a microchip.

Proper identification of an equine cannot be established visually. The physical identification document issued in respect of an equine records the required identification details of the animal, and it is from that data that the requirement for a microchip is determined.

Enforcement of equine identification legislation is largely undertaken by authorised officers in the regional offices of my Department who liaise with authorised officers in the Local Authorities and other organisations including members of An Garda Síochána and officers of the Revenue Commissioners, as required.

S.I. 62 of 2016 (as amended) provides both for the prosecution of keepers who have unidentified equines in their care and for the issuing of compliance notices. My Department's policy is to adopt a fair and proportionate approach in dealing with breaches of equine identification legislation. In this regard, authorised officers engage with keepers to ensure that they understand their responsibilities and where breaches of the legislation are identified, they generally provide an opportunity for non-compliant keepers to rectify the position within a specified timeframe. This approach is considered to be effective.

There have been no prosecutions since January 2013 with regard to the failure of owners to chip their horses.

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