Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/963, as transposed into national law via the European Union (Animal identification and Tracing) Regulations 2023 (S.I. 254 of 2023), sets out the rules on the identification and registration of equine animals.

This legislation provides that all equines must be properly identified with a passport no later than 12 months from the date of birth of the animal. However, proper identification of an equine cannot be established visually.

All equine passports issued since 1 July 2009 must record the number of the microchip implanted into the associated animal by a veterinary practitioner. All required identification data, including this microchip information, must be notified to DAFM by the issuing Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) and must be recorded on the central equine database maintained by my Department. This establishes the link between the animal and its passport document. However, it is the physical identification document that is the definitive means of identifying an equine animal. The date of issuance of this document determines the requirement for the implantation of a microchip.

All equines issued with a passport prior to 1 July 2009 are deemed to be identified properly in accordance with this legislation and accordingly are not required to be implanted with a microchip.

The Department has validations built into its systems to ensure that legislative requirements in this regard are adhered to and that all equines issued with a passport from 1 July 2009 have been implanted with a microchip.

My Department endeavours on a ongoing basis to maximise the levels of compliance in equine identification. In that context, equine identification legislation is enforced by authorised officers across my Department's Regional Office network in conjunction with authorised officers in the Local Authorities, An Garda Síochána, the Revenue Commissioners and other relevant organisations. My Department does not maintain centralised data in relation to the levels of non-compliances for failure to microchip equines or the number of equines impounded as a result.

Furthermore, in line with the Programme for Government, the provision of a robust equine traceability system is a priority for my Department. My Department has recently developed an equine microchip and UELN (passport number) checking facility on the DAFM website, providing members of the public with a direct link to the central database to immediately establish whether an equine is recorded there. This facility can be accessed via the link EquineChipCheck.agriculture.gov.ie.