Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 March 2021
2051. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the levels of non-compliance with equine microchipping and traceability; if he is satisfied with the level of compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15966/21]
View answerThe legislation governing the identification of equines across the EU is Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/262 (CR 262/2015), as transposed into national legislation via S.I. 62 of 2016.
This Regulation provides that an equine must be identified with a passport no later than 12 months from the date of birth of the animal. The identification of an equine is determined by the unique equine life number (UELN) recorded on the identification document. Equine passports are issued in Ireland by a number of Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) approved by my Department.
All equines identified with a passport from 1st July 2009 must also be implanted with a microchip, the number of which must be recorded on the associated passport document, on the database of the issuing PIO and on my Department's central equine database. The Department has validations built in to its systems to ensure that legislative requirements in this regard are adhered to and that all equines issued with a passport from that date have been implanted with a microchip.
All equines issued with a passport prior to 1st 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 does not have specific data in relation to the levels of compliance with the requirement for an equine to be identified with a passport no later than 12 months from its date of birth. However, information available from approved PIOs indicates that compliance with this requirement is high.
Furthermore, my Department endeavours on a consistent basis to maximise the levels of compliance. In that context, equine identification legislation is enforced on an ongoing basis 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. In line with the Programme for Government, equine welfare, based on a robust traceability system, is a priority for my Department, building on existing inspectorate supports across the country.
