Brussels, 09/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - On 6 June, the European Commission adopted a regulation that will help improve the health of horses, donkeys and other members of the equine family, as it creates a better and clearer identification system. The text was published in the Official Journal L149 of Saturday 7 June.
Under the terms of the new regulation, which is scheduled to come into force on 1 July 2009, an individual passport will be issued to all equidae within six months of their birth. At the same time, when the passport is issued, the animal will be tagged with a matching electronic chip that would be inserted in its neck. The proposal modernises the identification system of the equidae, which today are recognised via a hand-drawn outline diagram.
Identification is required not only for animal health reasons, but also to ensure compliance with certain public health requirements, because equidae may be slaughtered for human consumption. The regulation provides for a standardised format to exclude an equine animal from the food chain if a certain medicinal treatment was applied. (L.C../transl. rt)