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

Detecting & Preventing Fraud

144. PIOs must carry out reasonable checks to ensure that passports and passport applications are valid and correct. This must include checking applications and returned passports against existing records and sample passports for consistency.

145. PIOs must be aware of and where appropriate act upon signs of fraud, which might include:

a) Unusual volumes of registrations.

b) Where foals are declared as born outside the normal foaling season.

c) Where a number of application forms are submitted by the same breeder or agent for horses purporting to be born on or around the same date.

d) Where a passport has been issued by a PIO that is not approved.

e) Where there are any inconsistencies on passports or change of detail applications, particularly where a passport is purporting to have been issued by a PIO that has lost its approval or a passport has been returned following slaughter.

f) Signs of unofficial changes including handwritten amendments, variation in paper quality, changes that have not been stamped by the PIO or bindings that are incomplete or faulty.

g) Evidence that veterinary information has been altered by someone that is not a vet. This could include evidence of applications being altered after a vet’s signature; unfamiliar stamps claiming to be those of specific veterinary practices or variations in the signature of a particular veterinary surgeon. PIOs can check whether a person is registered with the RCVS using their database.

h) The addition of additional or subsequent transponders to a horse.

i) The return, following slaughter, of an original passport where a duplicate passport has been issued to the same animal.

146. The list of signs of fraud is intended as a guide. It is accepted that for particular groups of horses that it may be commonplace and therefore not warrant noting. Similarly, there may be indicators that particular PIO’s feel should be checked for as part of their own practices.

147. Any evidence of modification, tampering or fraud including Section IV (and pre 2016 Section IX) anomalies must be noted on the organisation’s database.

148. If a passport is identified as suspect the PIO should immediately refer it to their horse passport enforcement authority^[3].

149. If a PIO has evidence that an individual or group may be involved in horse passport fraud it must report this immediately to its enforcement authority.