Horse Sport Ireland Statement Regarding Irish Equines Resident in Great Britain

On Friday the 10th of June 2022, Horse Sport Ireland received a joint letter from the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) and the British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) regarding the provision of passporting services for Irish bred and registered horses residing in Great Britain (GB – England, Scotland and Wales) and British horses residing in Ireland. This letter was finalised after months of engagement with both government departments and passport issuing organisations (PIOs) in Ireland and GB.

Horse Sport Ireland’s territory and breeding programmes are currently approved for operation in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Equines originally identified in Ireland but now resident in GB:

‘Irish PIOs that have been approved to extend a breeding programme(s) into GB are allowed to issue duplicate and re-issued Irish passports (in addition to issuing new passports). In all other cases, Irish PIOs cannot issue duplicate documents in respect of equines resident in GB, even where the original passport was issued by that Irish PIO.’

‘Irish PIOs cannot upgrade a breeding and production (ID only) passport to a registered (studbook) passport (extended passport document) for an equine resident in Great Britain unless the breed society has been formally approved to extend the geographical extension of its breeding programme to GB.’

The studbooks operated by Horse Sport Ireland were declined permission to extend their breeding programme and associated territory into GB. The extension was refused by DEFRA on the basis that equivalent breeding programmes are in operation in GB. Hence Horse Sport Ireland are not permitted to issue first time registrations, duplicate passports or upgrade breeding and production identification documents (‘white books’) to studbook passports (‘green books’) to Irish bred horses now residing in GB.

‘Both Irish and GB PIOs can continue to process certain passport update applications for passports originally issued by Irish PIOs where the associated equine is now resident in GB.

Such updates are specified at Articles 27(1) and 38(1) of Retained Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/262 and are the same as those previously listed at Articles 27(1) and 38(1) of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/262 which has since been repealed and replaced by the EU Animal Health Law and its supplementing Regulations. They include the processing of changes of ownership, microchip, name changes, changes to the food chain status etc.‘

Horse Sport Ireland are permitted to continue to provide some services to Irish equines residing in GB. This includes changes of ownership, microchip changes, naming, changes to the food chain status, insertion of vaccination pages, etc.

The reduction in permitted Horse Sport Ireland passporting services to GB is extremely regrettable and disappointing for the Irish sport horse industry. These changes are a direct result of Brexit and the fact that GB now operate outside of the EU legislative framework and within domestic legislation.

Should you have any additional queries regarding the above changes, please contact DEFRA at equine.identification@defra.gov.uk or DAFM at horseID@agriculture.gov.ie