Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has announced a new online portal that allows members of the public to check, in real time, whether a horse or donkey is recorded on the central equine database.
Explaining how this facility will assist the equine sector, the minister stated: “This initiative is in keeping with my commitment under the Programme for Government to enhance equine traceability to better support equine welfare.
“The chip checker portal delivers a number of benefits consistent with this goal, whether it is allowing vets to view food-chain status, prospective buyers to verify identity, or assisting with the tracing of lost or stolen animals.”
Online portal for equine chip checker
The equine chip checker allows visitors to check whether an equine UELN (passport number) or an equine microchip number is valid.
Successful searches will return non-personal information including the breed, gender, colour, approximate age and food chain status of the animal, as recorded on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) central equine database.
The portal will assist where an animal is discovered lost or straying as it will provide the details of which Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) the horse is registered with, which will enable faster identification of the keeper or owner.
If the equine is not registered, the person checking will be provided with a link to the contact details of all approved PIOs, who can be contacted directly for advice on identifying an equine animal.
Checking food-chain status prior to treatment is beneficial to equine welfare as it allows vets to make the most informed decisions on which veterinary medicine to use.
Minister McConalogue has reminded all those keeping equines that it is a requirement under EU and national law that every equine living in the state is recorded on his department’s central equine database, along with details of the place where they are habitually resident.
This includes equines identified with passports from PIOs in other states and all equines imported into the state.
Equine tracing
The minister has re-iterated the requirement for everyone keeping any equine animals to register the place where they are kept with his department.
He pointed out that this information, together with the data on habitual residence gathered as part of the annual equine census, provides his department with valuable information to ensure the health and welfare of the equine population.
“Equine traceability is key to protecting the health and welfare of your horses and donkeys. We had a great response to our 2022 census but if you have not yet made a return, please do so,” he said.
The minister concluded by urging all keepers to use the facility to check the status of all equines in their care.
Details of recording a chip
- Where a vet checks an equine’s food-chain status and sees that it is already excluded from the food-chain due to a previous treatment, this means that more treatment options may be available, and the vet can make a more informed decision on this basis;
- All equines must be identified with a passport no later than 12 months from the date of birth of the animal;
- Equine passports are issued by seven Passport Issuing Organisations approved by the minister;
- The identification document (passport) number is the definitive means of identifying an equine;
- All passports issued from July 1, 2009 must record the number of a microchip implanted in the associated equine by a veterinary practitioner. This creates a link between the animal and its identification document.