Equine Passports
Mandatory for ALL by 30th June 2004!
In February 2003, the British Government announced that EVERY equine MUST, by the end of June 2004, have a passport, issued by a recognised issuing authority.
This means that every horse, pony, mule, hinny and donkey must have such a document and that it is the legal responsibility of the owner to obtain these. This does not just mean elegant dressage horses or valuable show-jumpers, but all those much loved family ponies and, of course, our beloved donkeys.
The good news is that you can apply now for a passport from The Donkey Breed Society. We are a recognised issuing authority (recognised by DEFRA) and have been issuing passports for several years. We believe that our prices are very cost-effective with discounts available for 'bulk orders' and also organisations such as welfare groups, open farms etc.
The passport is a bound document containing 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 this country, most people would be 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.
If you wish to find out more about the detailed legislation, please contact DEFRA by phoning 020 7904 6000, or via their website at www.defra.gov.uk.
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 may be a small charge made for applying these changes, but if your animal's details do not change, applying is a ‘one off’ effort and cost.
Passport Fees - operative to 31st December 2006
- Donkey Breed Society Members' Application: £15.00
- Non Members: £25.00
- Members' Foal Passport Applications £10.00 providing they are made before the foal reaches 6 months
of age and must be accompanied by the Mare owner's portion of the Covering Certificate.
Transfer of Ownership:
- Members £7.50
- Non Members £10.00
Change of Data
- Change of owner's home address, castration, height etc which require a change on the passport document
and the National Equine Database. £5.00
Where a donkey changes home the passport, a completed transfer form and a cheque for the appropriate amount must be sent back to the Donkey Breed Society at the address on page one of the passport document.
In the event that a donkey dies then the passport should be returned to the Donkey Breed Society for cancellation, but will be returned to the owner for sentimental reasons if requested.
