Equine Passports

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 December 2014

Tuesday, 9 December 2014

Questions (218)

Michael Healy-Rae

Question:

218. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of Commission Regulation (EC) No 504/2008, SI No. 399 of 2004 and SI No. 530 of 2007 which states that it is illegal for international bloodstock sales companies in Ireland to release a horse from the sales ground without providing the horse passport and identification document, if his attention has been drawn to some of the international bloodstock sales companies in Ireland who have not complied with the regulation and are retaining the horse passports and identification documents as security for periods of up to and in excess of two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46918/14]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Regulation 504/2008, which came into effect on 1 July 2009, requires three elements of identification to be fulfilled in respect of each equine – i.e. a single lifetime passport, a method to ensure the unequivocal link between the animal and the passport (transponder) and recording in a central database.

I strengthened equine identification legislation earlier this year with the signing of S.I. 207 of 2014 - European Union (Identification of Equidae) Regulations 2014 - which consolidates previous secondary legislation in this area and which further reinforces my powers in relation to the seizure and detention of documents and equine animals.

While I am not aware of international blood stock companies retaining passports as security, I have introduced a provision in S.I. No. 207 of 2014 - European Union (Identification of Equidae) Regulations 2014 prohibiting the retention of an equine identification document by a person other than the keeper of the equine.