HORSE BREEDING RULES AND LEGISLATION

The foal’s birth report: how, when and where it takes place

Avvocato/Layer Michela Masoero – Horses & Law

According to the legislation on the Equine Registry and as provided by the regulations of each Studbook, when a foal is born, the breeder/owner is required, following the European Regulation EU 2015/262, to communicate the birth within a pre-established deadline and to the identification of the horse resulting in the issuing of the identification document and registration in the database

In Italy, the Ministry of Agriculture, Dietary Regime and Forestry (Masaf) has issued the communication according to which from the 1st of January 2024 birth notifications and changes of ownership ‘will have to be entered directly by users, exclusively through the use of the online procedure’. The same communication also contains some clarifications on the reports of ‘Ridden Horses’ births, co-ownership and leases. However, at this time, birth reports relating to foals born from embryo transfer cannot be entered online except when the donor (the mare) is owned by the person communicating the birth. In other cases, the reports must be sent via certified email to the PO box indicated in the letter of communication.

The ‘mother’ legislation resides in EU Regulation 2015/262, where we can find the fundamental guidelines:

• Applications for identification documents for horses born in the Union
  
  Article 11 The owner/breeder must submit an application to obtain specific identification documents for horses born in the Union to the competent body of the Member country in which the company where the horses reside is located.

For ‘registered horses’ that are eligible to be part of a studbook, as well as for horses and ponies registered with an international association or organization managing horses suitable for competition, in accordance with Article 1 of Decision 96/78/EC, the owner/breeder can submit the application to obtain the identification document to the competent body, even if it is based in a different Member country from the one where the company’s horse/pony is based. Example: A foal born in Italy, but eligible to be entered in the BWP Studbook. (Belgian Warmblood): the breeder can request for the horse’s document to be issued by the Belgian Studbook. The horse, although born in Italy, will remain BWP.

Deadline for the identification of horses born in the Union

The horse/pony identification document is issued ‘within 12 months from the date of birth and, in any case, before the horse/pony has left the breeders facilities for good’ (except when he is relocated when still under the mare).Member countries may decide to limit the maximum period allowed for the identification of the foal from six months to a year after birth

Verification of unique identification documents issued for horses

Before issuing an identification document, the issuing body must:verify that the identification document has not already been issued for the specific horse; prevent the illegal issuing of multiple identification documents for the same horse.

To issue the document, the horse must be identified, this means that he will be assigned a lifetime identification number – UELN – and that the microchip (transponder) will have to be inserted.
(In some cases, identification devices other than the microchip are provided).

Italy – Decree 30 September 2021 Ministry of Health

The birth must be registered within 60 days of the event, followed by the identification of the horse and registration in BDN. The birth notification consists of a request for identification of the horse. In the declaration, the breeder/owner must also declare the FINAL DESTINATION (known as DPA Destination for human consumption or NODPA). This means that at the end of his life the animal can be destined for human consumption (dpa) or not for human consumption (nodpa). The DPA declaration can be changed over the course of the horse’s life to NODPA. The opposite is not permitted. Horses must be identified in their place of birth. within twelve months of birth in the case of registered equines; within six months of birth in the case of unregistered equines.

The microchip

The identification of equines is carried out by inserting a microchip by a veterinarian. The insertion of the microchip must be performed parenterally and in aseptic conditions on the left side and in the middle of the neck, making sure that the well-being of the animal is never compromised. After inserting the microchip, the veterinary completes the registration of the equine in the BDN by entering the microchip code and all the information required by the system for the generation of the unique lifetime identification document.

At the time of first identification and registration in BDN, each equine is assigned a unique code – UELN This is a 15-character alphanumeric code that identifies the horse, compatible with the UELN coding system, including: three characters for the ISO 3166 numeric code of the country (380 for Italy); three alphanumeric characters for the database; a nine-digit individual identification number attributed to the horse. The unique code is automatically generated at completion of the registration procedure in the BDN.

Database

At the time of issuing the identification document, the issuing body will record the information on the horse in its database. The governing body that issues the identification document must keep all the information in its database for at least 35 years or for at least two years from the date of notification of the horse’s death.

Registration of a central database

Member States must register a central database for the purposes of this Regulation.

The Equine Data Bank did already exist in Italy, when the Decree of the Ministry of Health of 30 September 2021 ‘Management of the equine registry’ decided on the procedures for the management of the equine registry, intented as an identification system and registration, afterwards referred to as the ‘I&R system’, of equines.