uk horse passports

eml

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Apr 29, 2002
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Leicestershire
www.ivanhoeequestrian.net
Have just had a major shock! I was working out the cost of getting passports for my herd and it came to £900! Not only would this buy a couple of school ponies but I've yet to hear anyone with a very good reason for doing this...it seems to be because other Europeans want to eat horses...grrrh!
Seriously though we keep our horses for life and have them put down at home when the time comes and then cremated so we are not going to benefit except we may find out about previous owners, although I doubt that will help as even those with records have seldom had owners who cared where they were going..more grrrh..

Sorry for the rant but I can think of many better things to do with £900: fill the barn with hay, buy 20 new rugs..etc. Perhaps I'll try just ignoring it. I wonder what would happen?
 
I have the same opinion as you on Passports. I don't really see the point in them as Maverick will live with us forever. I'm just lucky mine will come to less than £30.
 
This is not yet a done deal! I frequent another equestrian site and also subscribe to Horse and Hound where this debate is featured. They want us to write to our MP's to voice our objections. I am not totally against the idea but personally feeli t should be phased in starting with all foals born in 2004 rather than a blanket date for all equines, after all many of us have an old friend just decorating the paddock for whom a passport would be a total waste of money. I started a debate on here some months back on the subject of passports but got little response, if people don't protest then they cannot complain when it does become law. I personally cannot se how it is enforcable. As a former officer of the law we couldn't even keep up with dogs and their licences and frankly these days have more serious crimes to attend to than the odd lack of equine passport. They may pass the job to someone from DEFRA. I strongly feel we need to protest NOW! so get writing folks and ask that they phase this thing in rather than just imposing it on us.
 
I also have been objecting very strongly to this legislation. I strongly suspect that it will be largey unenforcable.

I read about a strong lobby of Riding School owners, who are objecting.

I have spoken to the police who cannot see how it can be enforced.

I intend to wait & see if anyone comes knocking on my door!

If you think about it there are lots of people driving around without driving licences! Not much is done about them.

I read that vets will not be able to treat your horse without a passport. That is a load of rubbish. Vets are not there to police the system, & I can't see them turning down making money. They are in business after all.
 
I heard that one of the breed societies has kept an eye on what they are issuing, and have not issued a passport to any horse/pony over 14 years old.

I can understand getting a passport for younger horses, where you want to take them to shows etc. But then for those horses you already have a vaccination card or breed registration etc. And if it was not all at once, then I would expect purchase prices will just go up a little to cover it.

But can you imagine a vet refusing to treat a horse just because it did not have a passport ?! Somehow I think animal welfare would come first.
 
Thanks everyone for your replies. I spoke to a man from DEFRA at the Equine event and was specifically told that the deal was done so I am delighted it is not definate yet. I will be writing to my MP and MEP. We are going to use the BHS scheme as we are an approved riding school. Unfortunately it is not as simple as it looks. We have two horses with full passports and six ponies with breed society papers and we are told these cannot be covered under the BHS scheme as no horse can have two sets of documents so we need to contact all the different societies involved as well. Not quite sure what to do now ...its obviously not so fixed as I had been lead to believe.
 
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Just as well, I understand that The donkey society alone has about 3000 donkeys.

I heard that they had to pay a reduced rate. I can't see this government being concerned for animal charities.
If you saw the documentary on TV they can't even keep a control over the cattle industry! Unregistered cattle are still getting into the food chain.
 
Horse charities ARE NOT exempt!! The ILPH have issued wait and see guidelines to their loaners. They do get a reduced rate but that is all. I urge you all to write to your MP to register your disapproval for the legislation in its current form and that a more progressive approach be used, ie for all stock born after Jan 1st 2004 so that it is phased in not imposed in blanket fashion.
 
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