The passport is a bound document containing details of the scanned microchip reading, an identification silhouette of your animal, its name, date of birth and description. Details of the owner are held, together with the breeder; where known. The animal is registered and allocated a unique reference number. There are also pages where records of vaccinations and any other form of veterinary treatment should be kept.
The prime purpose of the document is to ensure that any equine that has been treated with medicines not intended for use on food producing animals cannot enter the food chain.
In the United Kingdom most people are horrified at the thought of their beloved horse or donkey being eaten, but in the rest of Europe, this is commonplace and, being a member of the European Community, these laws affect us all.
Once you have your passport, it is held by the animal for life, although should be returned to the issuer for updating whenever any details change e.g., gelding, change of ownership etc. There is a charge of £5.00 made for applying these changes, but if your animal's details do not change, applying is a one off effort and cost.
Passport Application Forms
Can be downloaded as a PDF document: Or are available in printed form from: The Passport Administrator, Bryncelyn, Llanfyllin, Powys.SY22 5NE
It is now an offence for an owner to:
- export a horse(donkey/mule/hinny)
- use a horse(donkey/mule/hinny) for the purposes of competitions
- move a horse(donkey/mule/hinny) to the premises of a new keeper
- present for slaughter for human consumption
- sell a horse(donkey/mule/hinny)
- use a horse(donkey/mule/hinny) for breeding purposes
if the equine doesn't have a valid passport.