You and Yours on Horse Passports

[Rollin]

The Horse Trust were interviewed today and listeners were told, there was no consistency in the issue of horse passports - all are different.

Actually the EU legislation is very clear and is consistent. It does not matter where your horse's passport is issued within the EU (I have French, German, British and Hungarian passports), the basic information is the same.

If British PIO's are not complying how come DEFRA did not know?

Is France now vindicated in refusing to allow British PIO's to issue passports for foals born on French soil? There is only one PIO in France and in 1996 British Breed Societies were offered an opportunity to work with France to insure all foals born in France were correctly passported AND registered in mother stud book as well as on SIRE.

France has been FORCED by DEFRA and one UK breed society to change its laws. When British PIO's issue a passport for foals born on French soil, they must under EU law notify France so that horse can be registered on the very efficient Dbase in France called SIRE.

This does not happen - France is right to be annoyed.

Perhaps someone can tell me where on the DEFRA Helpline page, Brits moving to France are informed they MUST register their horses on SIRE.? It is three years since I wrote to DEFRA, explaining that while they tell ex-pats they must m/chip their dogs and cats, they still give no usefull information on the ex-port of equidae.

 

[ReggieP]

We are also in France and agree that the French single PIO and database system is very efficient, although sometimes it can be a little slow.

Of course it all comes down to money. Allowing any Tom Dick or Harry to set up an association and PIO with its own volunteers is of course much cheaper than if there was a professional centrally managed system.

In the past SIRE has taken a responsible approach by holding talks and agreeing recognisiton with "serious" UK PIOs. Why should they (and other EU PIOs) be forced to recognise these poorly managed UK PIOs.