# Microchipping for all equines



## Orangehorse (4 April 2018)

I am surprised that there haven't been howls of protest about this.  My horse was born long before 2009 so he and the companion will need chipping, so it will be an expense for me - for a companion that never leaves the place and a horse that is no longer competeting and will not be sold.

But it does make a lot of sense, and it is a pity that it wasn't brought in when passports were introduced.

I suppose a microchip can be dug out of the horse's neck, but how many people would stoop to that? Mm, maybe .......

It will stop the warmblood ex show jumper showing up with a passport at a sale with a passport 3 weeks old with no trace of breeding or previous owners ..............................


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## Cortez (4 April 2018)

Microchipping for horses has been compulsory here (Ireland) for at least 15 years, now also for dogs. Why would people protest at something that will only be an aid in identifying animals?


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## meleeka (4 April 2018)

I wont be getting my elderly mare done. Im pretty sure it will be like all the other laws around animals - not enforced. Its only inconveniencing decent horse owners. We will still have large numbers of dumped dead colts and its not going to do anything more for those than it already does.

Isnt it now law for dogs to me microchipped? I bet there hasnt been one prosecution and all the time its left to local councils there wont be.


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## 3OldPonies (4 April 2018)

I can see that for the majority of people who have un-chipped horses this is an extra expense on top of passports and the waste of time that was the national equine database turned out to be.  I saw in the HH article that they are hoping with the new database to stop people hanging on to the passports of horses that have died.  Now that is all very well, but the majority of those people are probably doing so because the passport is a momento of their horse that they don't want to lose.  There will also be those of course who have passports from a PIO that is no longer in business or is no longer allowed to issue passports.  Not only that, but the PIOs that there are charge for amendments to passports and I know from experience that some owners don't send passports back to PIOs for updating with new details; and when the charges vary so much from PIO to PIO than I can understand why.  It can be an expensive business just getting details changed with all the organisations involved these days.  Our hobby is quite expensive enough and I just can't see that adding more expense, in effect retrospectively, is going to help.

The very people that they are trying to 'nab' with this are those indiscriminate breeders, fly grazers and all round 'bad eggs' of the horse world.  Sadly these people are highly unlikely to bother with either passports or microchips and until such time as a horse is 'rescued' into a proper home then it won't have either - which of course means that for that fraternity the situation will not change.  It will only be the law abiding horse owners that will take on the extra expense, the criminal fraternity will not.


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## joosie (4 April 2018)

Microchipping horses has been a legal requirement in Europe for years, the UK is way behind!


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## Elf On A Shelf (4 April 2018)

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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## hobo (4 April 2018)

I am happy to get my older horse micro chipped but I will not and have not given any passports back of my horses that have passed away. They were my family and I paid for the passport it is mine and it is like old ponies said that last memory of our loved ones.

It did make me wonder about human passports do they need to be handed in if someone dies?


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## honetpot (4 April 2018)

I do not mind micro chipping, I do mind breed societies charging an arm and a leg for changing ownership.
  If the chip company holds a database, that is one way of generating income, you should be able to change the details online for a minimal fee. None  of this sending the passport off and waiting so many weeks and being charged £50 for a signature and a label.
  When passports came out I got a passport for everything, shopped around and got the cheapest deal for the unreg, which was about £20.
Last time I had one done, the vet came out chip, passport, I send off the paperwork for an all in price of £30. The company that does this I think allows you to change the details on line, and the chip company also sends you a registration form.

  Passports are a farce, the pony I have just purchased I know has had four owners since the last time he changed ownership on his passport. Chipping is entirely different, horses can cause as much damage as a stray dog, if ones found and its not chipped they should be legally able to rehome or destroy it, like they do dogs. If you can not afford £30 you can not afford to own a horse and perhaps its better off rehomed.


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## Cecile (4 April 2018)

hobo said:



			I am happy to get my older horse micro chipped but I will not and have not given any passports back of my horses that have passed away. They were my family and I paid for the passport it is mine and it is like old ponies said that last memory of our loved ones.

It did make me wonder about human passports do they need to be handed in if someone dies?
		
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Yes a human passport should be sent in when someone is dead but you request it to be returned when the information is recorded, I seem to remember they send it back with a corner cut off

Same with horses, not sure if they all do it, send passport in and request it is returned, I seem to recall they also send it back with a corner cut off, if they don't have the facility to return it or start acting like dictators don't bother sending it in


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## Mkw (4 April 2018)

Regarding passports we have, in Denmark where I live, the option of getting the passport back with a stamp saying the horse is dead. That way, the horse is registered as dead, the passport says so and you get to keep the passport as a memento if you want that. 

As for chipping, it's still (sort of) optional here. But if you choose not to do it, the horse is seen as livestock and you need to adhere to all the same rules as if it was a pig or a cow. That means for instance when treating injuries you are limited to medicine that is allowed for animals that are meant to be eaten. It also means a lot of extra work registrering anything the horse eats and what not. So most people choose to chip and registrer the horse as "not to be eaten" or what ever you would call that.


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## Cecile (4 April 2018)

Cortez said:



			Microchipping for horses has been compulsory here (Ireland) for at least 15 years, now also for dogs. Why would people protest at something that will only be an aid in identifying animals?
		
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I admire your knowledge when you post so this is not waving a red flag at a bull but in all honesty do you really believe this filly will have a passport or microchip so she can be identified and that the bars**** can be brought to justice

Don't open the link if you have a sensitive nature please!

https://www.irishcentral.com/news/horse-raced-death-cork


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## Cortez (4 April 2018)

Yes, I had seen this reported the other day: not an isolated incident, unfortunately. No Idea if it had a chip, most likely not if it was owned by the usual people who do this sort of thing, but that is sort of the point - an unchipped/unpassported horse is easy to seize. What needs to happen here (Ireland) is greater enforcement and that can't happen until there are facilities to handle the animals. Not the fault of chipping.


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## Cecile (4 April 2018)

hobo said:



			I am happy to get my older horse micro chipped but I will not and have not given any passports back of my horses that have passed away. They were my family and I paid for the passport it is mine and it is like old ponies said that last memory of our loved ones.

It did make me wonder about human passports do they need to be handed in if someone dies?
		
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I can't go through my returned deceased horse passports at present but found a human one, they do not write anything in it but cut off the right hand corner before it is returned, I'm almost certain returned deceased horse passports are the same but I can't confirm every horse PIO returns it if requested, I do know some do, so worth asking, some of my horse passports contained photo's so I wouldn't send them in until I was certain they would be returned


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## Cecile (4 April 2018)

Cortez said:



			Yes, I had seen this reported the other day: not an isolated incident, unfortunately. No Idea if it had a chip, most likely not if it was owned by the usual people who do this sort of thing, but that is sort of the point - an unchipped/unpassported horse is easy to seize. What needs to happen here (Ireland) is greater enforcement and that can't happen until there are facilities to handle the animals. Not the fault of chipping.
		
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I bet yours are well covered with passports and microchips.  Enforcement or the lack of it is what brings the whole system down, sometimes making laws for the law abiding just doesn't seem to make sense when only the law abiding follow the rules, eventually you have law abiding people just not bothering either.  If they get the enforcement and resources sorted first at least people would feel like it may or would work so its worth doing


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## Cortez (4 April 2018)

Not chipping or passporting your horse because some people don't is not a valid argument. Some people don't have a TV license, or pay their taxes, but that doesn't mean it's optional. Permanently identifying your horse can only be a good thing and I really fail to see why so many people are against doing so. The cost element is not huge in the scheme of things, and if you want to sell in a sale, compete, transport or medically treat your horse then it has to have both a passport and a chip.

And failing to register or update a chip is just plain stupid, especially when the dog goes missing. We're really hot on chips/passports here at Cortez Towers, I'd chip the chickens if I could....


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## meleeka (4 April 2018)

honetpot said:



			Passports are a farce, the pony I have just purchased I know has had four owners since the last time he changed ownership on his passport. Chipping is entirely different, horses can cause as much damage as a stray dog, if ones found and its not chipped they should be legally able to rehome or destroy it, like they do dogs. If you can not afford £30 you can not afford to own a horse and perhaps its better off rehomed.
		
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Its not about the £30, its the fact that the Government has made yet another law that they arent willing to enforce. They are leaving it to Councils to do, but theres no legal obligation for councils to do anything. Since most of them are strapped  for cash, they wont be able to enforce it even if they wanted to as is the case with the law regarding passports and microchips we already had.


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## honetpot (4 April 2018)

meleeka said:



			It&#8217;s not about the £30, it&#8217;s the fact that the Government has made yet another law that they aren&#8217;t willing to enforce. They are leaving it to Councils to do, but there&#8217;s no legal obligation for councils to do anything. Since most of them are strapped  for cash, they won&#8217;t be able to enforce it even if they wanted to as is the case with the law regarding passports and microchips we already had.
		
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That's what I paid for a basic registration passport, the vet to fill out the paperwork, and the chip, 3years ago. Even if it was a £100 if you can not afford to have it done, you can not afford to own a horse. 
 I have mine done, as sometimes I get in animals who perhaps have not come from the best homes, when they are vet checked and vaccinated. I have always said that breeding a pony/horse should be expensive, then perhaps they would not be so disposable.

  I do not think its so much about enforcing a law, but knowing where to send a bill. If you own a car, if your name is on the data base as the owner unless you can prove you sold it, or it was stolen, you are responsible. Rounding up stray horses and shooting them costs police time and money, if they are near a road that is what happens. If your horse end up in a farmers field, he will know who to contact and if its ploughed up his spring barley where to send the bill.


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## meleeka (4 April 2018)

honetpot said:



			I do not think its so much about enforcing a law, but knowing where to send a bill. If you own a car, if your name is on the data base as the owner unless you can prove you sold it, or it was stolen, you are responsible. Rounding up stray horses and shooting them costs police time and money, if they are near a road that is what happens. If your horse end up in a farmers field, he will know who to contact and if its ploughed up his spring barley where to send the bill.
		
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Ive never heard of a horse being shot for being loose, certainly not in my area. What usually happens is they put it in the nearest field or leave it to the local people to deal with. 

The sort of horses that end up loose in a farmers field probably still wont have chips, so its not going to solve that problem.

I wish the law was enforced. Imagine if you drove your car knowing that half the people on the road didnt have a log book or tax and nobody ever got prosecuted? Youd probably feel like not bothering either (insurance would be a matter for your own  peace of mind and my ponies  all have at least third party insurance.)

My dogs are microchipped because they are more likely to be loose somewhere and chips are likely to be checked if they were.


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## Ruby's Mum (5 April 2018)

I don't have an issue with this as I have always chipped my animals as an extra line in security (yes, I know there are cases where chips have been dug out).  

However, surely the reason that this is being introduced is purely because the powers that be think it will help in identification of the abandoned/fly grazed horses, there is absolutely no way that the type of people who dump and also fly graze horses will suddenly get them chipped because it has become "law", so yes, I agree it is just another cost for the responsible horse owners and I just can't see how they can police it.  Although, I lived in Northern Ireland years ago and I did have a new horse chipped and the vet said that he wouldn't have been allowed to vaccinate/treat he horse if it hasn't been chipped (I was chipping anyway) but I don't know if this is true as he was frankly a very weird individual so I took it with a pinch of salt.


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## Laafet (5 April 2018)

Cecile said:



			I can't go through my returned deceased horse passports at present but found a human one, they do not write anything in it but cut off the right hand corner before it is returned, I'm almost certain returned deceased horse passports are the same but I can't confirm every horse PIO returns it if requested, I do know some do, so worth asking, some of my horse passports contained photo's so I wouldn't send them in until I was certain they would be returned
		
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If you do request a return of a passport after registering it as dead then it does get returned with DECEASED in red stamped on every page, at least it did for the first one I did, after that I never returned about passport.


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## Cortez (5 April 2018)

Here (again, Ireland), stray horses that are not chipped are usually euthanized if not claimed, and if claimed they must be chipped and fines paid before they are released. I fully back this system as it not only encourages people to: a. chip & register their horses, but also: b. removes unregistered/uncared for animals from the population. 

I really cannot see any argument against identifying an animal and wonder why some people are so vehemently against it in the UK. I haven't heard any reasoning that really makes sense, other than pure bloody mindedness.


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## honetpot (5 April 2018)

meleeka said:



			Ive never heard of a horse being shot for being loose, certainly not in my area. What usually happens is they put it in the nearest field or leave it to the local people to deal with. 

The sort of horses that end up loose in a farmers field probably still wont have chips, so its not going to solve that problem.

I wish the law was enforced. Imagine if you drove your car knowing that half the people on the road didnt have a log book or tax and nobody ever got prosecuted? Youd probably feel like not bothering either (insurance would be a matter for your own  peace of mind and my ponies  all have at least third party insurance.)

My dogs are microchipped because they are more likely to be loose somewhere and chips are likely to be checked if they were.
		
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 I live in an area with major A roads, plus motorway, there is a RTA just about every day in a 5 mile section, some cause 10mile tailbacks. If there are loose animals they are contained as quickly as possible, if they have owners that will catch, load and get them off fine. Many of these loose animals are semi-feral, sometimes injured and the most expedient thing is get someone to remove them quickly, and that sometimes involves a marksman or knackerman.http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/loose-horse-m25-shot-police-586059


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## chillipup (5 April 2018)

Cortez said:



			Here (again, Ireland), stray horses that are not chipped are usually euthanized if not claimed, and if claimed they must be chipped and fines paid before they are released. I fully back this system as it not only encourages people to: a. chip & register their horses, but also: b. removes unregistered/uncared for animals from the population. 

I really cannot see any argument against identifying an animal and wonder why some people are so vehemently against it in the UK. I haven't heard any reasoning that really makes sense, other than pure bloody mindedness.
		
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I agree Cortez but who pays for the removal/boarding/destruction of an equine that's not chipped or claimed?


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## honetpot (5 April 2018)

At the moment with no chips its shoved on to charities, or the local council, which means us or the police, which means us. Chipping just means there could be more chance of finding an owner to bill. Its no different from the dog chip, there will always be people who not do it.
 Hopefully if the chip companies make updating the details free or a nominal fee, you can trace the last owner, and if they can not proved they have sold it and updated the details, they get the bill.


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## chillipup (6 April 2018)

I just wondered if it was any different in Ireland honetpot. It would be great here if our Councils were able to take up this responsibility but as others have said, they are being stripped of cash more and more. If the gov took proper responsibility they would make financial allowances to local councils for this but as they don't even seem to want to take any responsibility for the NHS crisis, I should think this matter is way, way down the list, if at all.


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## honetpot (6 April 2018)

I do not see why it is the council or governments responsibility to pick up the tab for essentially what is a leisure animal. When a car is done with you have to dispose of it responsibly, not being able to afford it, I can remember when you had to pay to have it taken away, is not the problem of tax payers. If my sheep die I have to pay the knacker, they are tagged so I have to record where I have sent it for disposal.


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## meleeka (6 April 2018)

honetpot said:



			I do not see why it is the council or governments responsibility to pick up the tab for essentially what is a leisure animal. When a car is done with you have to dispose of it responsibly, not being able to afford it, I can remember when you had to pay to have it taken away, is not the problem of tax payers. If my sheep die I have to pay the knacker, they are tagged so I have to record where I have sent it for disposal.
		
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Presumably DEFRA would enforce the rules regarding disposal?

I think the best solution would be to make the law and have the  police enforce it, check for microchips on fly grazed  and loose animals and seize the ones that werent. If there were a penalty people would be more likely to comply. This wont happen either of course. If you phoned the police or council here theyd just direct you to the RSPCA who are pretty rubbish with horses. 

The sort of people who dump dead horses onnfootpaths can easily afford proper disposal, but they are quite happy for it to be someone elses problem. They dont care about the animals, nor the people who have to clear up their mess.


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## Cecile (6 April 2018)

Police told me years ago that unless you have a visual deterrent its a waste of time

When freezemarking came out I was first in the queue, I missed the 007 mark by a fraction, even when I spoke to a police woman who also had horses she said don't bother with hoof branding as when the police go to a field of horses they will not go around cleaning off hooves to check for branding, if its not visual forget it, scan a field of horses find something visual you are almost there

Only problem with some sort of visual thing is the weirdo's will be doing it themselves, like microchips when you go in a pet store, bring your dog in for a groom we can microchip too, bet I could microchip after a quick course as well 

It costs £100 to pick up from the side of the road around this area, a bullet if needed is included in that price, the general public pay for it out of the coffers


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## Cortez (6 April 2018)

chillipup said:



			I agree Cortez but who pays for the removal/boarding/destruction of an equine that's not chipped or claimed?
		
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Gumment pay for it, through the county council animal warden service. Things must be different in UK, but ultimately if it's funded through taxes then everyone pays for these services. 

Cecile, it's not about deterring theft; microchips are a permanent identification that makes tracing an owner possible in the event of recovery. This can only work if people register and update so the onus is on the owners, as it should be. Not adopting something because some people will not comply is perverse; it's a good system, I'm surprised that people are so averse.


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## Cecile (6 April 2018)

Cortez said:



			Gumment pay for it, through the county council animal warden service. Things must be different in UK, but ultimately if it's funded through taxes then everyone pays for these services. 

Cecile, it's not about deterring theft; microchips are a permanent identification that makes tracing an owner possible in the event of recovery. This can only work if people register and update so the onus is on the owners, as it should be. Not adopting something because some people will not comply is perverse; it's a good system, I'm surprised that people are so averse.
		
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I'm not talking about theft either but you will not get the police or some council worker wandering around fields with a scanner trying to scan them for a microchip, they would get their shoes dirty, they have no training to deal with horses, with round up and scanning.  What are they going to do get a search warrant to enter a field to scan for microchips, bring in Heras fencing and round them up, anything visual can be done at a gate, passing by, even a neighbour can report nothing visual on horses or even a horse rider riding by

Car tax disc or whatever it was called, it sat in the car window, police, traffic wardens or neighbours could easily see if the disc was out of date, they decided to end this disc idea so now the number of cars without tax has rocketed, so that also means no MOT or insurance, unless they do spot licence plate recognition at the side of the road or do a check via DVLA its all guess work if that car is taxed, no visual so it doesn't matter to so many people, its not just horses its how people couldn't care less


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## Cecile (6 April 2018)

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


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## honetpot (6 April 2018)

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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## Cecile (6 April 2018)

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


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## KrujaaLass (7 April 2018)

One was shot in Essex a few years back. It was just standing on grass verge. We offered to take it but no the had it shot.


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## Cortez (7 April 2018)

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!


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## milliepops (7 April 2018)

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.


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## Cecile (7 April 2018)

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!
		
Click to expand...

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


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## honetpot (7 April 2018)

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.


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## Cecile (8 April 2018)

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


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## Cecile (8 April 2018)

Only just found this, but no idea when it was published

http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/Equine-Identification

It says there are 75+ PIO's which is slightly more than 60 or more and some have been implicated in fraud <shock horror>

Numbers however I suspect this is a guesstimate 

http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/Removing-the-Blinkers

Full report can be downloaded if anyone is interested


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## Mule (8 April 2018)

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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