Ireland’s first annual equine census is set to take before the end of the year, and will provide important information in the event of a disease outbreak, in addressing public-health concerns and in dealing with lost, straying or stolen horses.
The census, due to be undertaken at the end of November, was announced today by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.
It means that anyone in the State who keeps equines will be required to submit a completed census return within a specified timeline.
Equine animals include horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, asses and zebras.
The census will also facilitate compliance with new EU Animal Health Law (Regulation (EU) 2016/429), which came into force in April 2021 and which requires that the habitual residence of every equine kept in the State is recorded on the central equine database.
This is, generally, the premises at which an equine resides for a period of more than 30 days.
The census is designed to create an initial link between each equine kept in the State on census day and the premises where it is kept at that time.
A profile of all equines present on a holding on that date will be created on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s (DAFM’s) Animal Identification and Movement (AIM) system, which houses the central equine database.
It is expected that the formal linking of equines to their keepers will increase compliance with equine legislation which places responsibility on the recorded keeper for ensuring the health and welfare of all animals in his/her care.
Minister McConalogue said this was one of the DAFM’s priorities for 2021.
“It is also in keeping with my commitment to review and enhance the equine identification and traceability system with a view to better supporting equine welfare, as set out in Ireland’s Welfare Strategy 2021-2025.”
Next steps
Equine census details will be submitted online by keepers via agfood.ie.
Keepers who do not already have an agfood.ie account must register at www.agfood.ie to obtain personal login details to submit their census information.
This should be done in advance of November by logging on to www.agfood.ie and choosing the option to ‘register’.
The DAFM has written to all registered keepers making them aware of the upcoming census and will contact them again later in the year, confirming the date of the 2021 census.
At that time, a step-by-step guide to completing and submitting the census data online via agfood.ie will be provided.