Microchipping for all equines

btw grey's don't always take up marking well, so I know nothing is fool proof, I had to get my grey marked twice

My husband is like an escaped/loose horse magnet, if someone comes off or a horse escapes he usually ends up attached to it, not mine I hasten to add but out in the street

If there was a visual mark with details logged, there could be 2 contact numbers, one number could be I have this horse, found running loose its marked with xyz can the owner be located please?
Number 2 tel number could be this horse is not marked we need assistance. It may seem that we would all be policing each other but with nothing visual and just assuming everyone or no-one has bothered with a microchip I just can't see how it can work, once again just like passports we just assume some people have them and some people don't but we don't know which camp anyone belongs to.

I also had passports long before they were compulsory, purchased from the VHS
 
I live near a road where people dump rubbish all the time, sofas, fridges, building waste and the then the is the general McDonalds rubbish.
No one seems to understand that we all pay for disposal through our council tax. Some councils search for evidence and fine the holder.
For me chipping horses is no different, if its not chipped its destroyed or sold, if it is chipped last recorded owner is fined and billed.

I do not think that someone not complying with the law is a reason not do it, at the moment its so hard to get any public body interested in horse welfare. Not a fan of the RSPCA, but just think if they turn up at a welfare case, its scanned, no chip, straight away its an offence. Its scanned, the owner registered is not who they say they are, 'its not mine' is less of a defence.
My latest pony was in his time a very expensive pony, and was on the downward cycle of eventual neglect, so its not only the black and whites that could end up dumped.
The cost of updating passports has been a deterrent for people to keep their details updated, there has been a huge variation between PIO, which some seem to think just as a method of generating income. Cows are tagged and recorded on BCMS, their registration with their breed society is entirely separate.
If the law is clear and the police or designated officer can make on the spot fines, followed by so many days to comply or the animal is confiscated perhaps it could pay for its self. Parking fines generate income for councils.
 
honetpot said:
I live near a road where people dump rubbish all the time, sofas, fridges, building waste and the then the is the general McDonalds rubbish.
No one seems to understand that we all pay for disposal through our council tax. Some councils search for evidence and fine the holder.
For me chipping horses is no different, if its not chipped its destroyed or sold, if it is chipped last recorded owner is fined and billed.

I do not think that someone not complying with the law is a reason not do it, at the moment its so hard to get any public body interested in horse welfare. Not a fan of the RSPCA, but just think if they turn up at a welfare case, its scanned, no chip, straight away its an offence. Its scanned, the owner registered is not who they say they are, 'its not mine' is less of a defence.
My latest pony was in his time a very expensive pony, and was on the downward cycle of eventual neglect, so its not only the black and whites that could end up dumped.
The cost of updating passports has been a deterrent for people to keep their details updated, there has been a huge variation between PIO, which some seem to think just as a method of generating income. Cows are tagged and recorded on BCMS, their registration with their breed society is entirely separate.
If the law is clear and the police or designated officer can make on the spot fines, followed by so many days to comply or the animal is confiscated perhaps it could pay for its self. Parking fines generate income for councils.
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I have come to an age where I will comply with any law that makes sense and can be enforced with the correct people doing the job, with funding and that I agree its a good idea and will work,
sending out Joe Bloggs from the Council with a scanner when I find a loose horse is not going to happen anytime soon

Flytipping costs the tax payer millions, some times people dump their rubbish around here near the tip as there is a queue to go into the tip and they can't be bothered to queue or wait, its just how society is changing for the worse

Livestock wear ear tags if anyone wants to pinch a flock of sheep they herd them onto the lorry and cut off the tags, nothing is fool proof, criminals will always find a way

I have had horses come in with a microchip number, they have never ever been registered to anyone, the law states to microchip but to actually register the chip seems to have escaped any kind of sense, I think they call it a loophole in the law, I call if a damn PITA. I then have to track down which company microchipped it and pay to have it registered to me, its madness, it just doesn't make sense, I don't mind paying to have the microchip registered to me but I do mind having to become a detective to find the company who put it in and as time goes on I find it increasingly stupid
 
Cecile said:
I have come to an age where I will comply with any law that makes sense and can be enforced with the correct people doing the job, with funding and that I agree its a good idea and will work,
sending out Joe Bloggs from the Council with a scanner when I find a loose horse is not going to happen anytime soon

Flytipping costs the tax payer millions, some times people dump their rubbish around here near the tip as there is a queue to go into the tip and they can't be bothered to queue or wait, its just how society is changing for the worse

Livestock wear ear tags if anyone wants to pinch a flock of sheep they herd them onto the lorry and cut off the tags, nothing is fool proof, criminals will always find a way

I have had horses come in with a microchip number, they have never ever been registered to anyone, the law states to microchip but to actually register the chip seems to have escaped any kind of sense, I think they call it a loophole in the law, I call if a damn PITA. I then have to track down which company microchipped it and pay to have it registered to me, its madness, it just doesn't make sense, I don't mind paying to have the microchip registered to me but I do mind having to become a detective to find the company who put it in and as time goes on I find it increasingly stupid
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Ireland seems to be much more clued in on this issue. There are plenty of Joe Bloggses employed by the council that do indeed scan stray horses, and follow up. Microchips all have dedicated serial numbers that are easily traced to the issuing bodies, so not sure why that is such a problem. Do catch up, UK!
 
EKW said:
Microchipping is pointless if the info is never kept up to date. When our foal was chipped the very told me they would put all of the info into the database as part of their job. A few weeks later I rang the 2 main chipping companies to see if this had been done. I had no idea who she was chipped with hence ringing around. Only to find that the chip had never been registered! So don't rely on your vet doing it when they say they will! She is registered now.

But how many others have chips that aren't registered? Same with dogs -just because it has a chip doesn't mean to say it has a name registered to it!
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Agree. I don't really have an issue with this in principle (though the need to go back and chip the retired 21 and 22yos is a bit of an annoying expense) I will do the welsh happily as she is out and about a lot so I would expect eventually this will become part of the registration requirements for the affiliated bodies , and they will probably check a chip at random drugs tests etc in time.


But overall I have little faith that the details will be any more up to date than the current passports are? which makes the whole thing laughable. My latest purchase only had her breeder's details in her passport but i know of at least 2 homes between that and her coming into my ownership. Incidentally she's the only chipped one I've ever had.
 
Cortez said:
Ireland seems to be much more clued in on this issue. There are plenty of Joe Bloggses employed by the council that do indeed scan stray horses, and follow up. Microchips all have dedicated serial numbers that are easily traced to the issuing bodies, so not sure why that is such a problem. Do catch up, UK!
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I have no idea why people would microchip and not register it but how come the microchip number is on the passport if it not registered to anyone, do people just have to hand in a microchip number for it to go on a passport but does no-one check that it is registered to anyone? I eventually found out it is a PetID chip but no idea which owner had it put in

I have one who I know full well has been in more homes than his passport says, I don't know if that's just people being lazy, can't be bothered as it really doesn't matter or don't want to spend the money

Another one who I really need to resolve his passport but it fills me with dread, he seems to still be a colt on records and still registered with his breeder and although it seems he has a microchip I can almost guarantee it won't be registered, the owner doesn't seem to mind but quote: If you need to me to do anything when you sort it out just let me know :)

The UK need to get their act together regarding how they aim to make this work as it doesn't work now so adding another layer of rules will just make the situation more unworkable
 
When the vet sends or emails the microchip company with the details, there is are barcode labels to go on any paperwork, the registration document should be sent to the person the vet fills in on the chip documents. I know this because I have had several passported and chipped.
The problem is everyone is so hung up about the passport, its what everyone wants to see, they forget about the chip, I know I get the paperwork from the chip company and bung it in the draw and as I do not sell very often forget about it.
Unless the chip comes from a breed society, and even then they will by it from a chip company, the change of address, ownership etc for the chip, is entirely separate from the passport.
So when I last one chipped and passported, about 2011,the PIO, was pet id equine, £10 for change of address, £10 for transfer of ownership.
The chip company was petlog( managed by the kennel club), to update details was free, plus you could add emergency contact details of friends and family.
As passports are not proof of ownership unless the animal is a breed, they are just somewhere to put the jab stamps for most people, I suggest that people put their email address and mobile in their passports, we move house so often its just not cost effective to keep spending money just to have your address changed and update everything else with the chip company.
 
Interesting bit of info from BHS
They are one of more than 60 PIO's and we have produced in excess of 50,000 passports since 2004

How much revenue did all these more than 60 PIO's raise and how has the money been used?

How many horses/ponies etc are dead but the passport is still in the drawer?
How many passports are still registered to someone who sold the horse years ago?
How many show a microchip number on the passport but are not registered to anyone, which part of a PIO deal with this as they are putting the chip number on the passport?
How many equines are actually in the UK?

Quote: EU law states that all horses/ponies have to passported and microchipped - unquote
last time I read a newspaper we were leaving the EU and apart from being on-line how do people know what changes are being made or they may be breaking some law that no-one is telling them about, some people I know with horses don't even know what emails are, mobiles are something for kids to use and are lucky to find time to watch TV :)
 
Mine are chipped but it never occurred to me to change their details with the chip company. I didn't even know I was supposed to. Oops!
 
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