Give your views on the Equine ID System

World Horse Welfare and the British Horse Council are encouraging anyone with an interest in horses to complete a short survey on the current state of equine passports

On the 12 April, the British Horse Council (BHC) launched a survey to gain views from the UK equine community about the current state of equine passports. World Horse Welfare, who’ve been pressing for improvements to the system for some time, is working alongside BHC to develop and promote the survey.

David Mountford, Chair of the British Horse Council, said: “This will give us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make our voices heard regarding how we manage our horses’ information in the future. The current ID system simply isn’t fit for purpose, with over 50% of the data on the Central Equine Database – which is meant to hold up-to-date information on all horses in the UK – inaccurate or incomplete and changes need to be made.”

Having an accurate, up-to-date database is vital, not only for effective enforcement of legislation, but also for disease control. Further to this, it’ll allow lost or stolen horses to be reunited with their owners, as well as making it easier to identify those responsible for horses suffering from poor welfare and hold them to account.

The survey should take 6–10 mins to complete – although there’s an option to expand with more information if you wish and it’s open to anyone with an interest in Equine ID in the UK. There’s also a specific section for horse owners and questions will be specific depending on where in the country you live.

Don’t miss your chance to have your say, visit smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HORSEPASSPORTS/