Mandatory Microchipping of all foals (and adult horses not previously issued with a passport)

All foals must be identified before 31st December of the year of its birth or within 6 months of birth, whichever is later, by a unique electronic microchip implanted by a veterinary surgeon. The unique microchip number will be recorded on the issuers database and on the NED database.

- Foals will require a passport regardless of its age if being transported without its dam or foster mother, or sent for slaughter for human consumption. A passport is not required for the purposes of sale if the age of the foal is within the above deadlines, however the new owner will have 30 days to register the horse in their name.

It has been mandatory for registered Friesians to be microchipped for a number of years now but please do get foal registration completed as early as possible! If not completed within the time limits or an older horse without a passport then there will be limitations on the passport - the horse will not be eligible for Human consumption and the passport will be stamped as such by the Studbook or FHAGBI acting as PIO.

Horses to be accompanied by the passport at all times

A horse may not be moved without being accompanied by its passport. Exceptions to this are when the horse is stabled, at pasture, leaving a competition / event area for training and test purposes or being moved on foot where the passport can be made available within 3 hours. In other words, if you transport your horse to a show or clinic or to a new yard or field, you must have the horses' passport with you. Keepers with primary responsibility for the care of the horse, such as people with horses on loan, full livery yards, transporters and trainers need to be in possession of the passport, or to arrange with the owner of the horse that the passport can be made available without delay. The passport needs to be available at the time of treatment if a horse is being administered a veterinary medicine. It should be noted that the passport is NOT proof of ownership and that it is an offence for a "keeper" with primary care responsibilities to have a horse in their care which does not possess a valid passport.

Veterinary treatment - Section IX

The passport needs to be available at the time of treatment with a Veterinary medicine. If substances unsuitable for entry into the human food chain are administered, supplied or prescribed then owners must sign the declaration at Part II of section IX. If the owner declines to sign this then the Veterinary surgeon is legally required to do so after administering, supplying or prescribing the medication.

Substances that cannot be administered, supplied or prescribed to a food producing animal are specified in annex IV to Council regulation (EEC) No. 2377/90. There are also veterinary medicines outside this annex which cannot be prescribed to food producing animals and this includes PHENYLBUTAZONE (Bute). Once a horse has been administered with Phenylbutazone it CANNOT EVER enter the human food chain.

It should also be noted that most permitted veterinary medicines have a withdrawal period that may be anything from 7 days to in excess of 48 days depending on the actual drug before meat can enter the human food chain. This is why animals destined for human consumption must have medicine records accurately kept.

A "not intended for human consumption" declaration in section IX Part I / II cannot ever be reversed once signed, so if you buy a horse where the previous owner has signed the horse out of the human food chain, then you cannot ever send the horse for slaughter for human consumption, regardless of whether no veterinary medicines have been administered to the horse whilst in your care.

If section IX is not completed in your horses passport you do need to carefully consider whether you do want to voluntarily opt your horse out of the Human food chain:

- Have you made financial provision for the euthanasia of your horse at the end of its life?

- Are you aware of costs of carcass disposal

- Are you likely to sell the horse in future - some owners may prefer the option of abattoir slaughter

- There are currently a number of options available for euthanasia and carcass disposal - but these options may not be available in the future.

- Leaving the declaration unsigned does not mean that you have "elected" for abbatoir slaughter but it leaves it as an option should your circumstances change.

- If you have not signed the declaration at part II of section IX you will need to keep a record of all medicines administered, and as mentioned previously, the range of available medicines is more limited.

- If your vet does not know that your horse is signed out of the food chain then they can only administer substances suitable for human consumption!

It is a requirement to record vaccines given to the horse in Section V and VI (vaccination record) of the horse passport regardless of whether or not the horse is declared as for human consumption. The vet is committing an offence if he/ she does not do this. You must ensure the passport is available at the time of vaccination.

Selling a horse: It is an offence to sell a horse without a passport!!! Please ensure that horses are registered and passported before sale.

Buying a horse: - Transfer of Ownership

When you purchase a KFPS registered Friesian, you must within 30 days complete transfer of ownership. You must take 2 photcopies of the laminated registration paper (pedigree side), keep one yourself and post the other one to FHAGBI to let us know you are applying for transfer of ownership with the KFPS. Complete the reverse of the original registration paper with your new owner details and send it to the KFPS, Oprijlaan 1, 9205BZ, Drachten, Netherlands. They will then invoice you for transfer of ownership and once the invoice is paid (you may do this via FHAGBI), your papers will be returned.

Buying a horse: - Updating ownership details on passports: FHAGBI Changes from January 1st 2010

It is now a legal requirement to have ownership details updated on your passport.

Once your horses' registration papers are in your name you must contact Jane Slevin ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it - 00 44 7740 305267) to arrange to send your passport for updating. You must include the original registration paper in your name! and include £5 for postage if you wish your passport to be returned by Special Delivery. Updated passports will be returned to you within 5 days of receipt, and your horses details entered on the NED database.

If you / your vet do sign the section IX declaration that the horse is not for human consumption, please do inform Jane as we do need to keep NED records on this up to date.

IMPORTANT - TYPES OF PASSPORT!

If you have an old WFHO green and yellow striped passport

- these passports are no longer legal as they do not contain a Section IX, if you have not already done so you will need to apply for a Section IX insert from FHAGBI. New regulations mean that the Section IX will now automatically be declared NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. (you can alternatively apply for a duplicate passport from the KFPS (you will need to return present passport and apply for another) but you will be charged for this and the passport will still be stamped NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION

- New type maroon passports with gold KFPS crest.

- these passports are fully compliant with a Section IX and medicines record - you only need to apply for ownership to be updated on the passport once the registration papers are transferred into your name, and decide if you want to sign your horse out of the food chain, which your veterinary surgeon can stamp for you, or FHAGBI / KFPS may stamp.

Lost, stolen and damaged passports

DUPLICATE PASSPORTS

If you have purchased a horse without a passport but have the registration papers, or have lost your original horse passport, you will need to contact Jane ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it - 00 44 7740305267) to ask for an ID verification document to obtain a new passport. Your veterinary surgeon must come out, verify the microchip of the horse and complete the paperwork. You must also declare how and when the passport went missing, and last known keeper of the passport. This must then be sent to the KFPS with a request for a duplicate passport, and a request for a temporary passport valid for 45 days to be issued in the meantime. The KFPS will invoice you for the DUPLICATE passport and once paid will issue a DUPLICATE passport. This will be stamped as such and also the horse will automatically be declared not for human consumption.

REPLACEMENT PASSPORTS

These are issued only to animals which do not have means of identification.

BI-BOEK II horses awaiting registration:

We are very aware of concerns over the length of time it is taking for horses requiring DNA testing to be registered and passported! It is a grey area as to whether you would get away without a passport when you are awaiting registration, so we will in future be asking the KFPS will issue temporary passports for these horses. Temporary passports will only last for 45 days before needing to be replaced.

In order to speed up the registration of horses into Bi-Boek II (I.e those with non-approved sires requiring DNA testing for registration) please contact Jane to ask for a DNA registration pack to be sent to you. This will ensure that you have the correct paperwork in place, and the correct samples taken, and means their will not be confusion at the KFPS. Please do not just send a hair sample in the post to the KFPS without the accompanying paperwork and veterinary verification of microchipping / ID as this causes huge delays in processing your registration.

If you are unsure or have any questions please do contact Jane on 00 44 7740 305267 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Or visit the DEFRA website: www.defra.gov.uk where you can download a complete guide to horse passports.