Statutory Rule 1999 No. 116

Horse Passports Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999

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© Crown Copyright 1999

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Crown copyright 1999
with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office

It should be noted that the right to reproduce the text of Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland does not extend to the Royal Arms and the Government Printer imprints. 

The text of this Internet version of the Statutory Rule has been prepared to reflect the text as it was Made. The authoritative version is the Government Printer for Northern Ireland copy published by The Stationery Office Limited as the Horse Passports Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999, ISBN 0 337 93427 4, £3.50 sterling. For details of how to obtain an official copy see How to obtain The Stationery Office Limited titles.

The Department of Agriculture being designated[1] for the purposes of section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972[2], in exercise of the powers conferred on it by the said section 2(2) and of every other power enabling it in that behalf, hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement
1. These Regulations may be cited as the Horse Passports Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999 and shall come into operation on 21st April 1999.

Interpretation
2.  - (1) In these Regulations - 
 

"the Department" means the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland;

"horse" means a domestic animal of the equine or asinine species or crossbreeds of those species;

"horse passport" in relation to any horse means the identification document which has been issued for that horse by a recognised organisation under regulation 5(1);

"recognised organisation" means an organisation recognised by the Department under the Horses (Zootechnical Standards) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992[3] or an international association or organisation registered with the Department under regulation 4;

"studbook" means any book, register, file or data medium - 

(a) which is maintained by a recognised breeders' organisation, and

(b) in which horses of a given breed are entered or registered with mention of their ancestors.
 

    (3) In the horse passport set out in the Schedule, any reference to "the competent authority" is a reference to the recognised organisation which issued that passport.

    (4) The Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954[4] shall apply to these Regulations as it applies to a Measure of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

    (5) Any application or registration under these Regulations shall be in writing.

Application
3. These Regulations shall apply in relation to horses which are either - 
 

(a) entered or registered and eligible for entry in a studbook of an organisation recognised by the Department under the Horses (Zootechnical Standards) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1992; or

(b) registered with any international association or organisation registered with the Department under these Regulations.
 

    (2) Any international association or organisation not operating in Northern Ireland on the date these Regulations come into operation but which intends to manage horses for competition or racing in Northern Ireland shall register as such with the Department before it does so.

    (3) Any association or organisation which manages horses for competition or racing in Northern Ireland in contravention of paragraph (1) or (2) shall be guilty of an offence.

Issue of a horse passport
5.  - (1) A recognised organisation shall, on application made to it under paragraph (2) or (3), issue for any horse to which the application relates an identification document in the form set out in the Schedule duly completed in accordance with the requirements of these Regulations.

    (2) The owner of a horse born on or after 1st January 1998 may register it with a recognised organisation and, where he does so, he shall, at the time of that registration, apply to the recognised organisation for a horse passport for that horse.

    (3) The owner of a horse born before 1st January 1998 and registered in the studbook of a recognised organisation may apply to that organisation for a horse passport for that horse.

    (4) A horse passport shall be completed in English and French, but may in addition contain a translation (either of the whole horse passport or of any part of it) into such other language as the recognised organisation thinks fit.

    (5) In the case of a horse born before 1st January 1998 where the studbook of a recognised organisation shows that the horse has had more than one owner since it was originally registered therein, the recognised organisation shall ensure that details relating to ownership in Section I of the horse passport are completed prior to its issue.

    (6) Sections I to IV of a horse passport shall not be completed or amended by a person unless he is authorised for the purpose by the recognised organisation which issued it.

    (7) An entry in Sections V to VIII of a horse passport shall not be made by any person other than a veterinary surgeon.

    (8) Where a horse passport is completed or amended in contravention of this regulation - 
 

(a) the person who so completed or amended it; and

(b) the recognised organisation which issued it in that form,
 

Multiple registration and cancellation of registration
6.  - (1) Where the owner of a horse
 

(a) which is registered with a recognised organisation; and

(b) in respect of which a horse passport has been issued,
 

    (2) Where the owner of a horse
 

(a) which is registered with one or more recognised organisations; and

(b) in respect of which a horse passport has been issued,
 

    (3) Where a recognised organisation issues a horse passport to the owner of a horse born before 1st January 1998, that owner shall within 28 days of receipt of that horse passport send it to any other recognised organisation with which that horse is registered and upon receipt of that passport that other organisation shall endorse on it the fact that the horse is registered with that organisation.

    (4) Where a horse passport has been issued in respect of a horse, a person shall not apply for a fresh horse passport for that horse from a further recognised organisation unless the original horse passport issued in respect of that horse has been cancelled by the recognised organisation which issued it and the horse passport surrendered to that organisation.

    (5) Where a person applies for a fresh horse passport for a horse from a further recognised organisation under paragraph (4), that organisation shall ensure that all the details relating to the identity of the horse and its veterinary treatment contained in Sections II to VII of the original horse passport are included in the fresh horse passport.

Keepers
7.  - (1) The owner of a horse shall ensure that a horse passport is given to the keeper of the horse to which it relates.

    (2) If any person ceases to be the keeper of a horse for which a horse passport has been issued, he shall give that horse passport to the new keeper.

Movement of a horse
8. The keeper of a horse born on or after 1st January 1998 for which a horse passport has been issued shall ensure that the horse is accompanied by its horse passport - 
 

(a) when it is moved into or out of Northern Ireland;

(b) when it is moved from the premises of the keeper for competition purposes;

(c) when it is moved from the premises of the keeper for the purposes of veterinary treatment;

(d) when it is moved from the premises of the keeper to the premises of a new keeper; or

(e) when it is moved on any other occasion specified in writing by the recognised organisation which issued the passport.
 

(a) any veterinary surgeon who had, to his knowledge, treated or tested the horse before the horse passport was issued, enters in the horse passport all details of any such treatment or test which is described in paragraphs 4 and 5 of Part IIA of the Schedule;

(b) any veterinary surgeon who gives the horse veterinary treatment, or carries out any test on it, which is described in paragraphs 4 and 5 of Part IIA of the Schedule after the horse passport has been issued, completes the relevant part of the horse passport.
 

    (2) Where a horse referred to in paragraph (1) is registered with more than one recognised organisation, the seller shall, in addition to complying with the requirements of that paragraph, within 28 days of the sale of the horse, send details of the new owner of the horse to each recognised organisation (other than the organisation which issued the horse passport for the horse) with which the horse is registered.

    (3) Where a horse referred to in paragraph (1) is no longer registered with the recognised organisation which issued the passport for that horse, the seller shall, within 28 days of the sale or such longer period as is practicable in the circumstances, send the horse passport with details of the new owner to all of the recognised organisations with which the horse is still registered.

Prohibition on holding more than one horse passport
11. A person may not hold more than one horse passport for the same horse at any one time.

Replacement of a lost or damaged horse passport
12.  - (1) Where a horse passport has been lost or damaged, the owner of the horse to which it relates shall apply to the recognised organisation which issued it for a replacement horse passport for that horse.

    (2) The recognised organisation shall, on application made to it under paragraph (1), issue a replacement horse passport marked with the word "Replacement".

    (3) A recognised organisation which issues a replacement horse passport for a horse under paragraph (2) shall ensure that all the details relating to the identity of the horse and its veterinary treatment contained in Sections II to VII of the original horse passport are included in the replacement horse passport.

Powers of recognised organisations
13.  - (1) A recognised organisation may withdraw a horse passport issued to any person by it if it is satisfied that the provisions of these Regulations have not been or are not being complied with by that person or that the horse passport has not been properly completed or has been falsified in any way.

    (2) A recognised organisation may at any reasonable time require any person in possession of a horse passport which it issued to produce it or produce and surrender it.

    (3) A person shall comply with any requirement imposed on him under paragraph (2).

Identification of horses born before 1st January 1998
14. In the case of a horse born before 1st January 1998, a horse passport shall be sufficient identification for the purposes of the identification document required under the provisions of Article 8 of Council Directive 90/427/EEC (on the zootechnical and genealogical conditions governing intra-Community trade in equidae[5]) as read with Article 2 of Commission Decision 93/623/EEC on establishing the identification document (passport) accompanying registered equidae[6].

Offences
15.  - (1) Any recognised organisation which contravenes regulation 6(1), (2) or (4) or 12(2) or (3) shall be guilty of an offence.

    (2) Any person who contravenes regulation 6(3) or (5), 7 to 11, 12(1) or 13(3) shall be guilty of an offence.

    (3) Any person or organisation guilty of an offence under these Regulations shall be punishable on summary conviction by a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or, in the case of any individual, by imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both.

Power of inspectors
16.  - (1) An authorised officer shall, on producing, if required to do so, some duly authenticated document to show his authority, have the right to stop any vehicle for the purposes of ascertaining whether there has been any contravention of these Regulations.

    (2) An authorised officer who stops any vehicle under paragraph (1) may require the person in charge of any horse in that vehicle to - 
 

(a) produce on demand the horse passport for that horse; and

(b) permit that officer to inspect and take a copy of that passport.
 

Obstruction
17. A person shall not furnish any person acting in the execution of these Regulations with any information which he knows or believes to be false or misleading, and any person who contravenes this regulation shall be guilty of an offence.
 
 

Sealed with the Official Seal of the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland on

L.S.
 

R. S. Johnston
Assistant Secretary

12th March 1999.
 
 

General Instructions
     I. Passports must contain all instructions needed for their use and the details of the competent authority which issued them.

     II. Information shown on passports.

     A. Passports must contain the following information - 

    1. Section I:
 

Owner

The name of the owner or his agent must be stated.

Identification

The horse must be identified by the competent authority.

Recording of identity checks

    4. Sections V and VI:
 

Vaccination record

All vaccinations must be recorded in Section V (equine influenza only) and in Section VI (all other vaccinations).

Laboratory health tests

The results of all tests carried out to detect transmissible diseases must be recorded.

Section VIII:

Basic health requirements

Section VIII states the basic health requirements. It lists the diseases which must be noted on the health certificate.

Détails de droit de propriété
     1. Pour les compétitions, la nationalité du cheval est celle de son propriétaire.

     2. En cas de changement de propriétaire, le passeport doit être immédiatement déposé auprès de l'organisation, l'association ou le service officiel l'ayant délivré avec le nom et l'adresse du nouveau propriétaire afin de le lui transmettre après réenregistrement.

     3. S'il y a plus d'un propriétaire ou si le cheval appartient à une société, le nom de la personne responsable pour le cheval doit être inscrit dans le passeport ainsi que sa nationalité. Si les propriétaires sont de nationalités différentes, ils doivent préciser la nationalité du cheval.

     4. Lorsque la Fédération équestre internationale approuve la location d'un cheval par une Fédération équeste nationale, les détails de ces transactions doivent être enregistrés par la fédération équestre nationale intéressée.

Details of ownership
     1. For competitive purposes, the nationality of the horse is that of its owner.

     2. On change of ownership the passport must immediately be lodged with the issuing organisation, association or official agency, giving the name and address of the new owner, for re-registration and forwarding to the new owner.

     3. If there is more than one owner or the horse is owned by a company, then the name of the individual responsible for the horse must be entered in the passport together with his nationality. If the owners are of different nationalities, they have to determine the nationality of the horse.

     4. When the Fédération équestre internationale approves the leasing of a horse by a national equestrian federation, the details of these transactions must be recorded by the national equestrian federation concerned.
 

Date'enregistrement par l'organisation, l'association ou le service officiel	Nom du propriétaire	Addresse du propriétaire	Nationalité du propriétaire	Signature du propriétaire	Cachet de l'organisation, association ou service officiel et signature
Date of registration, by the organisation, association, or official agency	Name of owner	Address of owner	Nationality of owner	Signature of owner	Organisation, association or official agency stamp and signature

 

    (1) No. d'identification:
 

Identification No:

Name:

Sex:

Colour:

Breed:

by:

and:

by:

Date of foaling:

Place where bred:

Breeder(s):

par:

Origin certificate validated on:

by:

      -  Nom de l'autorité compétente:     Name of the competent authority:

      -  Adresse:     Address:

      -  No. de téléphone:     Telephone No.:

      -  No. de télécopie:     Fax number:

      -  Signature:     (Nom en lettres capitales et qualité du signataire)

      -  Signature:     (Name in capital letters and capacity of signatory)

      -  Cachet:     Stamp:
 

    (19) Signalement relevé sous la mère par: 
Description taken with dam by: 

Tête:

Head:

Ant. G:

Foreleg L:

Ant. D:

Foreleg R:

Post G:

Hindleg L:

Post D:

Hindleg R:

Corps:

Body:

Marques:

Markings:

Le:

On:

District:

Signature and stamp of qualified veterinary surgeon (or competent authority)

     (en lettres capitales)

     (in capital letters)
 

Contrôles d'identité du cheval décrit dans ce passeport
L'identité du cheval doit être contrôlée chaque fois que les lois et règlements l'exigent: signer cette page signifie que le signalement du cheval présenté est conforme à celui de la page du signalement.

Identification of the horse described in this passport
The identity of the horse must be checked each time this is required by rules and regulations and certified that it conforms with the description given on the diagram page of its passport.
 

Date	Ville et pays	Motif du contrôle (concours, certificat sanitaire, etc)	Signature,nom en capitales et qualité de la peronne ayant vérifié L'identité
	Town and Country	Purpose of control (event, health certificate, etc)	Signature, name (printed) and status of official verifying the identification

 

Grippe équine seulement
 

Enregistrement des vaccinations
Toute vaccination subie par le cheval doit être portée dans le cadre ci-dessous de façon lisible et précise avec le nom et la signature du vétérinaire.

Equine influenza only
 

Vaccination record
Details of every vaccination which the horse undergoes must be entered clearly and in detail, and certified with the name and signature of the veterinarian.
 

Date	Lieu Place	Pays Country	Vacin/Vaccine		Nom en capitales signature du vétérinaire Name (printed) and signature of veterinarian
			Nom Name	Numèro du lot Batch number

 

Maladies autres que la grippe équine
 

Enregistrement des vaccinations
Toute vaccination subie par le cheval doit être portée dans le cadre ci-dessous de façon lisible et précise avec le nom et la signature du vétérinaire

Diseases other than equine influenza
 

Vaccination record
Details of every vaccination which the horse undergoes must be entered clearly and in detail, and certified with the name and signature of the veterinarian
 

Date	Lieu Place	Pays Country	Vacin/Vaccine			Nom en capitales et signature du vétérinaire Name (printed) and signature of veterinarian
			Nom Name	Numèro du lot Batch number	Maladie(s) Disease(s)

 

Contrôles sanitaires effectués par des laboratoires
Le résultat de tout contrôle effectué par un vétérinaire pour une maladie transmissible ou par un laboratoire agréé par le service vétérinaire gouvernemental du pays doit être noté clairement et en détails par le vétérinaire qui représente l'autorité demandant le contrôle.

Laboratory health test
The result of every test carried out for a transmissible disease by a veterinarian or a laboratory authorised by the government veterinary service of the country must be entered clearly and in detail by the veterinarian acting on behalf of the authority requesting the test.
 

Date	Maladies transmissables concernéés	Nature de lexamen	Résultat de l'examen	Laboratoire officiel d'analyse du prélèvement	Nom en capitales et signature du vétérinaire
	Transmissable disease tested for	Type of test	Result of test	Official laboratory to which sample is sent	Name (printed) and signature of veterinarian

 

Exigences sanitaires de base
 

Les exigences ne sont pas valables pour l'introduction dans la communauté
 

Basic health requirements
 

These requirements are not valid to enter the community
 

Je soussigné[7] certifie que l'équidé décrit dans le passeport no       élivré par       satisfait aux conditions suivantes:

I, the undersigned[7], hereby certify that the horse described in passport no       issued by       satisfies the following conditions:
 

(a) il a été examiné ce jour, ne présente aucun signe clinique de maladie et est apte au transport;

     it has been examined this day, presents no clinical sign of disease and is fit for transport;

(b) il n'est pas destiné à l'abattage dans le cadre d'un programme national d'éradication d'une maladie transmissible;

     it is not intended for slaughter under a national eradication programme for a transmissible disease;

(c) il ne provient pas d'une exploitation faisant l'objet de mesures de restriction pour des motifs de police sanitaire et n'a pas été en contact avec des équidés d'une telle exploitation;

     it does not come from a holding subject to restrictions for animal health reasons and has not been in contact with horses on such a holding;

(d) à ma connaissance, il n'a pas été en contact avec des équidés atteints d'une maladie transmissible au cours des 15 jours précédant l'embarquement.

     to the best of my knowledge, it has not been in contact with horses affected by a transmissible disease during the 15 days prior to loading.
 

This certification is valid for 10 days from the date of signature by the official veterinarian.
 

Date	Lieu	Pour des raisons épidémiologiques particulières, un certificat sanitaire separé accompagne le présent passeport	Nom en capitales et signature du vétérinaire officiel
Date	Place	For particular epidemiological reasons, a separate health certificate accompanies this passport	Name in block letters and signature of official veterinarian
		Oui/non (barrer la mention inutile) Yes/no (delete as appropriate)
		Oui/non (barrer la mention inutile) Yes/no (delete as appropriate)
		Oui/non (barrer la mention inutile) Yes/no (delete as appropriate)
		Oui/non (barrer la mention inutile) Yes/no (delete as appropriate)
		Oui/non (barrer la mention inutile) Yes/no (delete as appropriate)
		Oui/non (barrer la mention inutile) Yes/no (delete as appropriate)

Maladies dont l'inclusion dans le certificat zoosanitaire joint au passeport doit être envisagée

Diseases for which an endorsement must be made on the health certificate attached to the passport

    1. Peste équine  -  African horse sickness

    2. Stomatite vésiculeuse  -  vesicular stomatitis

    3. Dourine  -  dourine

    4. Morve  -  glanders

    5. Encéphalomyélites équines (tous types)  -  equine encephalomyelites (all types)

    6. Anémie infectieuse  -  infectious anaemia

    7. Rage  -  rabies

    8. Fièvre charbonneuse  -  anthrax
 

These Regulations implement in Northern Ireland article 8 of Council Directive 90/427/EEC on the zootechnical and genealogical conditions governing intra-Community trade in equidae (O.J. No. L224, 18.8.90, p. 55), and Commission Decision 93/623/EEC establishing the identification document (passport) accompanying registered equidae (O.J. No. L298, 3.12.93, p. 45).

The Regulations establish a system of identification documents (horse passports) for horses born in Northern Ireland and registered with recognised organisations. The Regulations specify when a horse must be accompanied by a passport (regulation 8) and also the form of the passport (Schedule).

[1] S.I. 1972/1811back

[2] 1972 c. 68back

[3] S.R. 1992 No. 539back

[4] 1954 c. 33 (N.I.)back

[5] O.J. No. L224, 18.8.90, p. 55back

[6] O.J. No. L298, 3.12.93, p. 45back

[7] Ce document doit être signé dans les 48 heures précédant le déplacement international de l'équidé. 
This document must be signed within 48 hours prior to international transport of the horse.O.J. No. L298, 3.12.93, p. 45back