Passport issuing organisations (PIOs) are using the National Equine Database (NED) for the first time. NED is an internet-based system designed to allow global access to identification, breeding and competition data for British horses.
The project, begun in 2004 and run jointly between Defra and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), has been beset by delays. But work has continued apace since NED was taken in-house by the BEF in August, and the first open testing of the system begins this week.
Not all the functions are available yet, but PIOs will be able to search for horses and the basic data entered on each animal. Further search options will be available in January, and expectations are that the system will be completed in April 2008.
This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (8 November, ’07)
