New scheme will provide €500,000 to improve equine traceability
A new equine traceability scheme has been launched this year by the Department of Agriculture.
The Equine Traceability Improvement Scheme 2025 will provide €500,000 towards IT solutions towards equine traceability.
The scheme, recently announced by agriculture minister Martin Heydon, will fund support for the use of IT solutions by passport-issuing organisations and equine sales houses to monitor the movement of Ireland’s equine population more effectively.
The scheme will be open to the seven passport-issuing organisations, along with the five main equine sales houses.
The scheme is part of the minister’s plan to implement the recommendations of the Professor Paddy Wall report to Strengthen Equine Identification, Traceability and Welfare.
At the launch, the minister said: “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 Wall report made several recommendations, including utilising IT to bridge traceability gaps. Mr Heydon has published an action plan with the Wall report in mind, with several implementations of IT solutions.
Some of these actions include automated transfer of information between equine passport issuing organisations, private veterinary practitioners, and owners/operators of horses, implementing a digital solution for notification of change of ownership, which is currently a time-consuming and paper-based system, automated transfer of ownership data from sales and auction houses, a digital solution to capture real-time updates relating to a horse’s life events, such as the chipping and marking of a foal by a vet, and the use of QR codes on passports.
Mr Heydon emphasised the key objective of the scheme was ultimately to improve equine welfare: “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."
The scheme is now open, and the deadline for applications is September 30.
