A reminder to all horse, pony, donkey and mule owners. There’s only a year remaining to ensure that your equine is microchipped to comply with new UK legislation. This legislation will help equines become more traceable should their they escape, but also act as a theft deterrent. And the reason we’re telling you now, is you could tie it into your next vet visit to make sure you’re not caught short.
By October 2020, all equines – including horses, ponies, donkeys and mules must be identified by a registered microchip and passport. This is an expansion upon previous rulings, where only equines born after July 2009 were required to be microchipped.
Microchips can only be implanted by a vet, and the chip contains a unique 15-digit identification number which is registered with the Passport Issuing Organisation and the Equine Register, where all equine passport and microchip records are kept in a central database (https://www.equineregister.co.uk/home).
Bransby Horses has the expertise of their very own Equine Identification Administrator, Bethany Revill, to review all microchip and passport details at the Charity. Bethany has the following advice:
“With almost 1,000 equines in our care, this has been an enormous task to ensure we comply with the new legislation and we have worked with numerous PIOs to confirm all equine’s details are logged appropriately with the Equine Register. To check if your own equine’s details are registered, visit the Equine Register website and type in their microchip number or call your PIO for more information.”
Be warned, individuals who do not comply with the new regulations will face sanctions including a compliance notice and a fine of up to £200.
