Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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777. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will consider introducing a system by which digital copies of equine passports can be sent electronically to his Department to have them uploaded to the central database as opposed to forcing persons to travel and incur significant cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49487/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The rules on the identification of equidae are governed by Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/429 (Animal Health Law), as supplemented by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2035 and Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/963. This EU legislation provides that the single life document (equine passport) issued in respect of an equine is the definitive mechanism for identifying that animal. It further provides that the information recorded on that document must be up-to-date and accurate at all times.

As provided for in the EU Animal Health Law, my Department has designated a number of equine Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) to ensure that practical application of the equine identification and registration system. These organisations are responsible for issuing equine passport passports and for updating the information in these documents, as appropriate. Where changes occur that affect the information recorded on the equine passport, the physical document must be presented to the relevant PIO for amendment. The PIOs are further responsible for ensuring that all relevant equine registration and update data are notified to my Department's central equine database in a timely manner.

In accordance with the EU requirement for an equine to be accompanied by its identification document (with limited exceptions), my Department has amended the terms and conditions of the 2022 Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) Scheme. From this year, applicants seeking to fulfil their stocking density using either horses or donkeys are permitted to furnish certified copies of the relevant equine passports in support of their application. This ensures that the passport document remains with the equine.