Horse traceability in Ireland is to be improved under a new scheme.
Launched by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, the scheme aims to fund improvements in how equine life events are captured.
The Equine Traceability Improvement Scheme 2025 will provide €500,000 in funding to support the use of IT solutions by passport issuing organisations and equine sales houses to monitor the movements of Ireland’s equine population more effectively.
ETIS 2025 will be open to the seven passport issuing organisations as well as the five main equine sales houses. Applications are now been taken with a closing date for submissions on the 30th September 2025.
The scheme is under the Minister’s plan to implement the recommendations of the Professor Paddy Wall Report to Strengthen Equine Identification, Traceability and Welfare.
Wall Report
This report was as a result of a 2024 ‘RTE Investigates’ documentary which investigated horse traceability in Ireland and in Europe while exposing systemic abuse of the horse registration system and its impact on the human food chain.
Launching the scheme, Minister Heydon said in relation to the use of technology, “IT solutions have been transformational in the traceability of animals. In his report on how to strengthen equine traceability, Professor Paddy Wall recommends the adoption of technology to reduce admin burden and have our systems avail of the best international advancements. I want the beneficiaries of this scheme to use this aid to explore the innovative options available to improve how we capture equine life events and the movement of our equine population.”
The Minster went on to say, “Robust traceability is fundamental to ensuring horse owners and keepers are accountable for the welfare of their horses. Without accountability, horses are vulnerable to neglect and mistreatment. Investing in better traceability is an investment in better equine welfare.”
IT Solutions
The Wall Report proposed a number of wide-ranging recommendations including that IT solutions should be employed to solve some of the horse traceability gaps. Minister Heydon has published an action plan to deliver the reforms proposed by Professor Wall. A number of these actions are based on the implementation of IT solutions including:
Automated transfer of information between equine passport issuing organisations (PIOs) and private veterinary practitioners (PVPs) and owners/operators of horses.Implementing a digital solution for notification of change of ownership. This is currently a time-consuming and paper-based system.
Automated transfer of ownership data from sales and auction houses.
Digital solution to capture real time updates relating to a horse’s life events such as the chipping and marking of a foal by the PVP.
Use of QR codes on passports.
View: Wed 12 June 2024
RTÉ Investigates goes deep inside the equine industry to show what happens to horses after they leave the spotlight.https://www.rte.ie/player/movie/rt%C3%A9-investigates-horses-making-a-killing/525555751982
Read: 8th June 2024
RTÉ to broadcast major investigation into treatment of horses
https://www.rte.ie/news/investigations-unit/2024/0608/1453694-rte-to-broadcast-major-investigation-into-treatment-of-horses/
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