Horse passports: Minimum Operating Standards (MOpS) for Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs)

Central Databases

Scottish Equine Database (ScotEquine)

79. The following information, shall be recorded as a minimum

• the UELN;
• the species;
• the sex;
• the colour;
• the date (dd/mm/yyyy) of birth;
• if applicable, at least the last 15 digits of the code transmitted by the transponder, or the code transmitted by a radio-frequency identification device not complying with the standard ISO 11784 together with information on the required reading system;
• the country of birth;
• the date of issue and any modification of the identification document;
• the name and address of the keeper who submitted the application;
• the status as registered equidae or equidae for breeding and production;
• the name of the animal (namely, the birth name and, where applicable, the commercial name);
• the known status of the animal as not intended for slaughter for human consumption;
• the serial number, where such serial number is applied to the identification document;
• the country where the holding of the equine animal is located; and
• the notified date of death or loss of the animal or date of slaughter;

80. The electronic records must be updated to reflect any modifications made to the horse’s passport.

81. Where a horse has received medications which are not permitted for animals intended for slaughter for human consumption the keeper must inform the PIO within a maximum of 14 days from the date of signature in Section II Part II (or Section IX Part II in pre-2016 issued passports) of the horse’s passport so that the electronic record can be updated by the PIO to reflect the change in food chain status. This will irreversibly remove the horse from the human food chain.

82. Where the information as regards the exclusion from slaughter for human consumption in Section II (or Section IX Part II in pre-2016 issued passports) of the passport does not match the information recorded in the UKCED, the information contained in either of them which leads to the exclusion of the equine animal from slaughter for human consumption shall prevail.

83. Where a new passport is to be issued the details must be, within 1 week of creating the change in your own electronic record, provided to ScotEquine.

84. Keepers importing horses into Scotland should submit existing passports to the PIO so that the electronic record can be updated within 30 days of the completion of the customs procedure.

85. The PIO shall on request from the keeper complete the passport so that it complies with the requirements of Article 7(2) of the 2016 Regulation and record the horse’s details on ScotEquine as well as their own electronic record.

86. Duplicate & Replacement Passports should be entered into the PIOs electronic record and ScotEquine with reference to the UELN number.

87. When a PIO updates ScotEquine all data will be passed to the UKCED.

UK Central Equine Database (UKCED)

88. The UK Central Equine Database (UKCED) is operated by Equine Register (ER) on behalf of DEFRA, in partnership with The Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Irish Government.

89. It contains data for all horses (including imported horses) registered with a UK PIO.

90. ScotEquine feeds all data into the UKCED within 15 days of receipt and in return is fed data back on horses where the owners have a Scottish postcode.

91. Upon creation of a new record/update to a record, PIO’s must upload this information to ScotEquine within 1 week of the record being created.

92. Passports issued for horses by a country outside of the UK but which are kept at a UK address can be updated by any UK PIO. The change must be notified to the central database of the country where the animal was born. This is done by the UKCED on behalf of all UK PIOs.