Tracking and recording your horses’ movements could help protect the national herd, now and in future – and win you £500.

Equine Register, which runs the Central Equine Database (CED) for the Government, and the Royal Veterinary College are asking riders to contribute to a digital record of horses’ journeys. It is hoped this will support better biosecurity, by alerting people about infectious disease outbreaks and helping prevent spread.

“But it could do much more,” a spokesman for the scheme said. “The data could help scientists gain insights into the transmission and spreading of infectious diseases by analysing patterns and data. This could facilitate the creation of much more intelligent monitoring and management tools than ever before.

“Equine Register has teamed up with the RVC to launch a research project that does exactly that: develop a better understanding of the spread of infectious diseases, which will help us find intelligent solutions for the future.”

The spokesman cited recent cases of infectious disease, such as the major outbreak of equine flu in 2019, and the “devastating” equine herpes virus (EHV) in continental Europe two years later.

“The worrying reality is, with increased travelling and return to busy schedules, the next outbreak of any number of equine infectious diseases is only around the corner,” he said. “And the questions we need to ask ourselves are: how prepared are we? And how can we protect our horses better?”

The spokesman said these outbreaks show that “tried and tested methods of disease control, which rely heavily on vaccination and physical paperwork are no longer the only way forward”. He cited the vaccine supply issues of last year, and the fact that paperwork is “not always reliable and too slow and cumbersome”.

The new scheme involved riders’ downloading the CED “digital stable” app, and using the “record my ride” or “record my journey” functions to record all movements, from hacks to trips to competitions, training or other activities.

RVC associate professor in epidemiology Jackie Cardwell said: “The RVC is grateful for the vital work of Equine Register in facilitating this important research. By gaining a much better understanding of how equine infections are spread between horses during normal equestrian activities, we can develop more intelligent solutions for the future that will ensure we can all get out and about safely with our horses in years to come.”

“We partnered with Equine Register because their expertise and digital ability are key to this ground-breaking study.”

Equine Register chief business officer Stephanie Palmer said it was an honour to work with the RVC on the project.

“Everything we do at Equine Register is geared around protecting the national herd by supporting every single horse owner, rider and equestrian professional in this country,” she said. “Digital solutions hold the answer to how equestrianism can evolve to the benefit of everyone.”

Equine Register has also launched the prize campaign; everyone who takes part in the project by recording rides and journeys will be entered in a draw to win £500. Equine Register will also make an equal donation to charity.

“Our campaign is a fun way for everyone to get involved as we enjoy venturing out and about with our horses again,” Ms Palmer said. “The aim is to raise awareness about the importance of keeping all our horses safe and healthy and to give everyone a chance to play their part.

“Supporting the vital work of our equine charities is important to us, and now more than ever they are threatened by the pressures of rising costs and lower donations. The campaign is about much more than just raising money, it is about creating more awareness and about encouraging more riders and owners to engage.”

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The group of leading welfare charities has created a report including 40 recommendations to benefit animal welfare. H&H finds out more, including views on a recommendation to strengthen the Hunting Act

FURTHER restrictions on firework use, licensing of sanctuaries and regulation of equestrian premises are among recommendations of a coalition urging the Government to act on animal welfare.

In an “unprecedented” move, 50 welfare charities have united in calls for lawmakers not to waste a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine our relationship with animals through a new animal health and welfare strategy”.

The group, which includes the Horse Trust, World Horse Welfare and Redwings, has published a report entitled Act now for Animals, which sets out its priorities for creating a society that “rebalances” the way we live and work with animals.

The paper, which states “no animal left behind”, sets out 40 recommendations. The hope is that it will help the Government create a new animal welfare strategy; the last such plan is 17 years old and the landscape has changed significantly in that time, bringing “new and urgent challenges”.

A key recommendation is that the new Government animal sentience committee must have “real teeth”, be independently chaired, comprise leading welfare experts and have the ability to “meaningfully hold ministers to account”.

Brooke Action for Working Horses and Donkeys CEO Chris Wainwright said: “We all have a role to play in how we live alongside and create a better life for animals.

“It is absolutely vital that all animals are recognised as sentient beings, and that a rigorous approach to improving animal health and welfare is recognised not just for its benefit to them, but also for its connection to human health.”

Another recommendation is to ensure equine identification is “enforced effectively for the first time in 12 years”, by introducing a statutory obligation to enforce rules, requiring registration of equine premises and making both owner and keeper of a horse responsible for keeping the Government’s digital equine database up to date.

World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers said: “We are fast entering the last chance saloon to create a frictionless, digitised system for equine identification, something we have been highlighting for nearly a decade. This is a fundamental requirement for all other equine welfare legislation to work and we now finally have the opportunity to make this happen, if Government shows the political will.

“An effective equine ID system is also inextricably linked to the other vital piece of the jigsaw: effective enforcement, and this too will need the political will to ensure a realistic allocation of resources for local authorities to fulfil this role.”

The report highlights the fact National Equine Welfare Council members took in 186 equids from struggling sanctuaries or rescue centres in 2019, and that almost one in five equine vets dealt with firework-related injuries to a horse in 2018. Two recommendations are to introduce licensing and inspections of all sanctuaries in England and Wales, and to review fireworks legislation and fireworks’ impact on animal welfare, with a view to introducing further restrictions on use and sale.

Horse Trust CEO Jeanette Allen said: “There is no doubt we are stronger with one voice and this incredible collaborative effort could affect very real change to Government policy and future legislation that protects animals. The Horse Trust is very proud to have taken part and contributed our expertise.”

The report also recommends banning live export of horses for slaughter or fattening, and introducing a 12-hour journey limit for horses.

The final recommendation is for the Government to ensure that enforcement is a statutory obligation in any new laws, as “legislation is a glorified and costly piece of paper without enforcement, and a wasted piece of paper if it doesn’t deliver its objectives”.

Hunting concerns

CONCERNS have been raised about one section of the report put to the Government (see above).

One of the 50 groups involved in the coalition is the League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) – and one recommendation is headed “strengthening the Hunting Act”.

The section states that trail hunting “provides cover for illegal hunting” and that “fox hunting is opposed by 85% of the public”, referring to a LACS-commissioned poll of 2,003 people.

The report says trail-hunting should be banned on Government-owned land, and an offence of recklessly hunting a wild animal should be introduced, with prison sentences and a liability provision to cover employers and landowners.

A Countryside Alliance spokesman told H&H: “LACS has spent the last 18 years making ridiculous claims about hunting, yet nearly every time it makes allegations to the police or a court, they are found to be false. There have been hundreds of thousands of days’ legal trail hunting since the Hunting Act came into force and only a handful of convictions relating to registered hunts.

“The figures presented by LACS cannot be taken at face value since they were compiled from LACS’ own ‘animal crimewatch service’, which often consists of dubious reports from alleged members of the public, as well as spurious evidence gathered from social media. Time and time again, this evidence is proven to paint a false picture of reality and lacks any appropriate context.”

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As new equine microchip and passport deadlines loom, owners are reminded of the requirements for those horses who do not hold UK passports.

H&H reported last week that as part of government efforts to tackle horse theft and improve traceability, biosecurity and welfare, all equines in England must be microchipped by 1 October and by 12 February 2021 in Wales. In Scotland, the deadline is 28 March 2021.

But for equines who have been imported from EU countries (including Ireland) and do not have British passports, an extra step is required in order for their details to be uploaded to the Central Equine Database (CED).

Defra guidance states horses who have arrived in the UK should be registered with a UK passport-issuing organisation (PIO) within 30 days. This will ensure the CED is updated and the relevant non-UK PIO is alerted of the change of record. If the horse is based in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, the passport will be overstamped, but for horses kept in Scotland the details will be recorded on the ScotEquine database and the CED.

There are a number of UK PIOs, including those that manage breed studbooks, including international breed societies that have representation in the UK such as the British Hanoverian Society. There are also PIOs that do not manage studbooks but are authorised to issue passports, such as the British Horse Society. The full list of the UK PIOs can be found here.

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World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers told H&H the CED has the potential to be an “invaluable” one-stop shop for verifying the identity of a horse.

“But, as ever, to be able to fulfil this vital function, the information on the system needs to be correct,” he said.

Anyone who has bought a horse is also reminded it is their responsibility to change the ownership in the passport with the relevant PIO within 30 days, or face penalties.

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The final countdown to the requirement for all equines in Britain to be microchipped and registered on the Central Equine Database via a British passport-issuing organisation is underway. H&H finds out more...

Owners have been reminded of their responsibilities ahead of new equine microchip and horse passport legislation deadlines.

As part of the Government’s move to tackle horse theft and improve traceability and welfare, all equines in England must be microchipped by 1 October and by 12 February 2021 in Wales. In Scotland, the deadline is 28 March 2021.

The UK’s chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said microchips will not only help police and local authorities, but also support efforts to ensure better control over disease outbreaks.

“This new legislation will ensure irresponsible owners are held accountable for any low standards of welfare,” she said.

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers told H&H being able to identify every horse – and owner – is “fundamental” to protecting welfare.

“There have been significant improvements in identification since the 2013 European horsemeat scandal, when no enforceable legislation was in place, but creating an effective equine ID system is very much a journey and not a destination,” he said.

“One key development is the establishment of the Central Equine Database, which has the potential to be an invaluable one-stop shop for anyone who wants to verify the identity of a horse. But, as ever, to be able to fulfil this vital function, the information on the system needs to be correct and there needs to be a simple way for owners to update their details.”

Mr Owers said enforcement of the new legislation is “critical”.

“The ability of local authorities to issue fixed penalty notices to owners who do not comply is an important step in the right direction, but again this relies on having the correct information on the database,” he said.

“We will be working with Defra through the British Horse Council to ensure maximum take-up, which means having a system that is easy and cost-effective. For sure, there will be teething issues, but we hope these will be ironed out by April, by which time all equines in Great Britain will have to be microchipped, including those born before 2009.”

Following confusion on the topic of imported horses, H&H clarified with the Scottish government and Defra that owners of horses who have been imported from an EU country and hold EU passports must send the passports to a UK passport-issuing organisation for the horse’s record to be uploaded to the Central Equine Database.

The Scottish government sent guidance to all owners in Scotland, highlighting the requirements and fixed penalties, and the introduction of the ScotEquine card. This ID card can be applied for, allowing owners to transport horses in the country without carrying their passports.

Helene Mauchlen, British Horse Society’s national manager for Scotland, told H&H the society has worked with the Scottish government on the identification initiative.

“The investment the Scottish government is making with biosecurity and traceability is good for all equines and will help prevent diseases,” she said.

The Welsh government has issued guidance to owners (in Wales) encouraging them to get new passport applications and changes to passports in early, as well as ensuring transfer of ownership is updated within 30 days of buying a new horse.

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News from the National Equine Forum included the introduction of the Central Equine Database’s ‘digital stable’, which has been welcomed by both World Horse Welfare and the British Horse Council...

A “visionary” change to the Central Equine Database (CED) has the potential to benefit owners, businesses, sports and, most importantly, the horses themselves.

Defra minister Lord Gardiner announced at the National Equine Forum on 5 March that owners will be able to change passport information themselves through the CED’s “digital stable”, free.

While owners may still update details through passport-issuing organisations (PIOs) as they can currently, the changes are aimed at making it easier for them to ensure that information held by PIOs on themselves and their horses is correct.

“The digital stable is protected by rigorous security and identity checks to ensure owners’ information and equine records are safe,” a spokesman for the CED told H&H. “It is designed with owners in mind to make it easy to manage and keep records legal and up to date.”

Once updated, the digital stable will automatically notify the relevant PIO of the changes, so owners no longer have to send passports back to the PIO. The digital stable will send a digital record to the owner’s smartphone, which will be valid to confirm a horse’s identity while it remains in the UK.

“This new digital approach will see the UK at the forefront of equine traceability and enable more effective biosecurity, disease control, fraud management and human food chain safety,” the spokesman said. “It will also enable owners to take control of their horses’ information and manage it in real time, as they do with other online accounts.”

Asked at the forum whether this change would make a difference, World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers said he thinks it will be “transformational”.

“You can’t hold people to account for the way they treat their horses if you can’t prove ownership,” he said, adding that people need to understand the benefits of the CED and digital stable to the “everyday horse owner”.

British Horse Council chairman David Mountford told H&H the council is “thrilled” by the news.

“A functioning and accurate equine database has the potential to bring huge benefits to owners, sporting bodies, equestrian businesses and, most importantly, to horse health and welfare,” he said.

“As owners, we have historically been pretty awful at keeping PIOs appraised of changes such as address, ownership, gelding or death; we’ve also frequently ignored the requirement to register imported horses. Now, we will have no excuse for ignoring our legal obligations – updating our records and registering horses passported in Ireland or other EU countries will be easy and free.”

The changes are expected to come in this month, alongside a government campaigning promoting it and the October deadline for chipping all equines in England.

Stewart Everett, CEO of Equine Register which operates the CED, said: “Owners can still contact PIOs to make changes, but our initial tests show less than 10% of the data supplied to the CED by PIOs is likely to be correct. Aside from putting owners and horses at risk, if a horse gets loose or is stolen, this increases the risks to horse health and disease containment.”

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Progress is being made in the development of a new equine database as the 1 January EU law change approaches.

The current European regulation on equine identification will be replaced with updated rules, which include the requirement for all member states to have a centralised equine database.

Although there is no time gap between the expiration of the current law and the start of the new legislation, it could still be months before a centralised database is in place in Britain.

Under EU law, member states that do not already have a nationalised equine database — such as the UK — will have until 1 July 2016 to implement one.

Members of the Equine Sector Council (ESC) have been helping Defra — which is responsible for making sure the new UK database is produced — to shape it.

Jan Rogers, head of equine development at the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), said Defra has met with organisations interested in implementing the database.

She added that the BEF, through the ESC — which includes horse welfare charities and the British Equine Veterinary Association — has been advising Defra on how to create an effective database.

Defra has taken some of its suggestions on board.

“Defra is currently looking at the form the contract will take,” said Ms Rogers.

“We have advised that they should not restrict bids to people that are just IT providers.” She added that the provider should have background equestrian knowledge.

“We would like to see Defra adopt some further crucial measures, such as a simple means of allowing an owner to notify a passport issuing organisation of transfers of ownership online,” she said.

Ms Rogers said owners want something that will last and that is easy for authorities to use.

“If we have greater enforcement, people will have more confidence in the passport system,” she said.

“Owners have seen the British Horse Database (BHD) and National Equine Database (NED) close (news, 23 August 2012). They don’t want it to happen a third time.”

In 2001, the BHD ceased trading after running into financial difficulties.

It was replaced in 2008 by NED, which folded in 2012 when the government stopped funding it.

Under the new EU rules that come into force next year, foals must be issued with a single passport with a unique identification number before their first birthday.

World Horse Welfare’s Roly Owers stressed the importance of an ID system that is simple for owners to use.

He said a central equine database is “essential”, as it is the foundation for any “robust, enforceable equine identification system”.

“This is vital to protect horse health and welfare,” he said.

“Not only does linking a horse to an owner encourage responsible ownership, but the data can help Defra protect horses in the case of a disease outbreak, deter horse theft and also safeguard the food chain.

“The sector has been frank in its discussions with Defra over the importance of simplicity and practicality. It is imperative that we learn the lessons from the defunct NED.”

A spokesman for Defra said: “Our new equine database will provide statutory information on the identity of horses in the UK, making it easier to trace horses and identify their owners.”

The spokesman added that at present it is not possible to estimate the cost and features of the database.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 17 September 2015

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More co-ordination and support is what the Scottish equestrian industry needs to develop, according to a new study published earlier this month (13 April).

The study by Scotland’s Rural College’s (SRUC) rural policy centre, in conjunction with British Horse Society (BHS) Scotland, said the equestrian industry in Scotland is too fragmented to access funding.

“Nearly all legislation pertaining to the horse in Scotland is devolved. For our industry to compete fairly with other rural industries when it comes to recognition and funding opportunities, we realised that we needed to collect evidence on the value of the [Scottish] equine industry, instead of relying on figures extrapolated from the UK,” said Helene Mauchlen, director of BHS Scotland.

The desk-based study was started last summer and took six months to complete. It includes six industry case studies.

Ms Mauchlen added that it was a “great step” for the industry.

There are no accurate figures for the equine market in Scotland, but according to Horse Scotland the industry — excluding racing — contributes around £228m to the local economy each year and there are an estimated 75,000-100,000 horses.

Membership of the BHS in Scotland is still relatively low, at 5,500.

“For Scotland this study is the first step by the equestrian industry to say we are important,” Ms Mauchlen told H&H.

Last year the EU announced that all countries must have a central database by 1 July 2016 to try and prevent a repeat of the 2013 horsemeat scandal (news, 25 September 2014).

Currently 25 out of the 28 member states have a database, but the UK does not — following the closure of the National Equine Database in 2012 due to lack of government funding.

The new study states that, in order to become more efficient, the Scottish equine sector needs to create a separate equine database, provide quality assurance for riding and trekking centres and staff training.

“The equine industry makes a big contribution to the rural economy, and has significant potential — with adequate support and guidance — to deliver integrated business and environmental benefits,” said Gillian McKnight, one of the report’s authors.

“A thriving horse industry means more people, including a high proportion of women, participating in sport, recreation and access to the countryside, which is good for our physical and mental health.”

The report has been sent to the Scottish government and will be available to equine businesses.

Ms McKnight said further research was needed to find out more about the health and well-being benefits of horses.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 23 April 2015

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Equestrian and rural campaign groups are fighting for political advantage as country issues begin to dominate the 2015 general election campaign.

The equestrian industry is estimated to contribute £7bn a year to the economy and provide more than 200,000 full-time jobs.

But, despite equestrianism’s large economic contribution, there are also welfare concerns.

Horse abandonment numbers are soaring and many rescue centres are at “crisis point”. Also, more than 3,000 horses are being illegally fly-grazed.

RSPCA chief inspector Cathy Hyde, who heads a specialist team of equine officers, said: “Over the past five years there has been a marked and very worrying increase in equine neglect and abuse. This is witnessed on a daily basis by frontline staff.

“This disturbing trend in neglect seems to be affecting equines more than any other animal that we deal with.”

The British Horse Industry Confederation has released a manifesto calling on the next government to “support the sector’s development” and “protect the health and welfare of all horses in the UK”.

Resources needed to tackle fly-grazing

The Control of Horses Bill is due to had its third reading in the House of Lords this week (Wednesday 18 March).

The Bill, which should receive Royal Assent soon, gives local authorities the power to seize or impound horses abandoned on public or private land without permission.

However, even with the Bill passed the issue of funding to support it is still “complex”.

“We are likely to see the approach to using any act being taken as a local matter, which can be influenced by local communities,” said a spokesman from World Horse Welfare.

Equine charities also want the government to continue to put pressure on creating a workable passport system.

Last September the European Union announced that by 2016 it would be compulsory for all countries to have a centralised equine database.

World Horse Welfare is urging the new government to learn from “past mistakes”.

Two previous databases have already failed in the UK. In 2001 the British Equine Database — which recorded data for sport horse breeding — closed after eight years when British Showjumping withdrew from the scheme.

The National Equine Database (NED) was launched in 2008 but folded in 2012 after Defra withdrew funding, saying it was “not effective” — a move that was slammed by vets and welfare groups.

“The priority for any new government should be to grasp the opportunity of the updated equine identification regulations to overhaul the current dysfunctional identification system in the UK,” said World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers.

“Without this, equine welfare, health and even human health are all put in jeopardy. The government must continue to work with the sector to ensure that we learnt the lessons from the past. An easily updateable central database and retrospective microchipping of all equines in the UK are vital for an effective equine identification system.”

World Horse Welfare has also raised concerns about the need for “effective intelligence-led checks” of horse exports and imports at British ports.

The issue was highlighted last week (11 March) when an MP proposed a Ten Minute Rule Bill arguing that a single agency was needed to address the “dysfunctional” enforcement at British ports.

In an address Gregory Barker said: “The UK can be proud of its laws that protect the welfare of every one of our country’s one million equines — including protecting them from indiscriminate export for slaughter. However in reality horses and ponies can effectively be shipped anywhere, for any purpose, in any condition because there are no clear lines of responsibility.”

Mr Owers added: “The authorities simply do not appreciate the scale of the trade in horses and ponies of a low financial value, much of which is under the radar and so is not reflected in any official figures.”

Regulations need to be bolstered

The dangers of a dysfunctional identification system and poor control of equine exports were exposed by the 2013 horsemeat scandal.

Last September an independent government report into the issue by Prof. Chris Elliot stated that “urgent and comprehensive changes to the UK food system” were needed to “protect consumers from serious organised crime”.

However, concerns have been raised that not enough money has been allotted to deal with the issues.

A source close to the enquiry told H&H that a lot “will depend on what happens at the next election”.

“There is no money available, so any action that the government takes will have to be paid for by taking money from another project.”

The Countryside Alliance (CA) wants the government to make it compulsory for all labelling of meat products to show where the animal was reared and slaughtered.

“Since the horsemeat scandal, consumers are taking much more notice of where the meat they eat originates from,” the CA’s Sarah Lee told H&H.

“We have written to Defra, urging it to press the European Commission to make country of origin labeling mandatory for all meat.”

➤ The CA has launched a new e-campaign, enabling you to contact your local parliamentary candidates on rural issues. Visit: www.countryside-alliance.org

➤ For more information on the British Horse Industry Confederation Strategy visit: www.bhic.co.uk

Ref: Horse & Hound; 19 March 2015

A new Europe-wide equine database is to be introduced by 2016 to try and prevent a repeat of last year’s horsemeat scandal.

The European Union (EU) Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health announced the changes earlier this month (12 September), which means that every foal will have to be issued with a single passport and unique identification number before its first birthday.

Under the new regulations all horses born after 1 July 2009 will have to be microchipped so their records can be checked and updated and serve as a passport.

It will be compulsory for this information to be stored on a centralised database for all EU member states.

The regulation will apply from 1 January 2016. However, EU countries that do not already have a centralised database will have until 1 July 2016 to put one in place.

Currently 25 out of the 28 member states have a database, but the UK does not — following the closure of the National Equine Database in 2012 due to lack of government funding.

Last year’s horsemeat scandal highlighted the failure of current regulations, leading to the industry calling for a review of the “broken passport system”.

EU commissioner in charge of health Tonio Borg said: “As promised, this is another lesson drawn from last year’s horsemeat fraud: the rules endorsed by the member states will strengthen the horse passport system in place.

“I believe that closer co-operation will enhance the safeguards which prevent non-food quality horsemeat ending up on our plates.”

Equine charities welcomed the move, having been campaigning for tougher regulations to improve horse welfare (news, 16 January).

“Horses in the UK will especially benefit from these tougher laws as the UK’s system of equine identification could arguably be said to be one of the most complex, and abused, systems in Europe,” said World Horse Welfare’s Roly Owers.

Currently there are more than 75 passport issuing organisations, yet no central database in the UK.

“We have always been clear that a central database is a fundamental element in building a system that is more workable and enforceable, which can better protect our horses,” Mr Owers added.

Potential pitfalls

Although this move has been seen as a huge step forward, concerns have been raised as to whether these new rules can be effectively introduced and policed.

Two previous equine databases have already failed in the UK.

In 2001 the British Equine Database — which recorded data for sport horse breeding — closed after eight years when British Showjumping withdrew from the scheme.

The National Equine Database (NED) was launched in 2008 but folded in 2012 after Defra withdrew funding saying that it was “not effective”, a measure that was slammed by vets and welfare groups (news, 23 August 2012).

Industry professionals are also worried whether the new measures can be practically introduced.

H&H veterinary consultant Karen Coumbe said: “As an equine vet in practice, I still come across horses and ponies with no passports, as well as those with multiple passports and variable numbers of microchips, some of which are registered and some not.

“The current situation is a mess and I totally agree that every effort needs to be made to improve this. Unfortunately, realistically it is going to be an enormous challenge to do so.”

Equine charities have also warned that the new rules will only work if they can be enforced.

“The new regulations will help, but they alone will not solve the problem. A law is only effective if it is enforced, and this is especially true for identification,” said the Horse Trust’s Jeanette Allen, who is also a member of the Equine Sector Council, which has been campaigning for the tightening of regulations for years.

“The government must support better enforcement, which has been a low priority.”

The root of the problem

An independent government report into the horsemeat scandal by Professor Chris Elliott was published earlier this month (4 September) and stated that “urgent and comprehensive changes” to the way the UK food system is policed are needed to “protect consumers from serious organised crime”.

However, there is a fear that appropriate funds have not been allocated in order to achieve this.

“A lot will depend on what happens at the next election,” a source close to the enquiry told H&H.

“There is no money available so any action that the government takes will have to be paid for by taking money from another project.

“There is an appetite to deal with it but the government is hamstrung as they don’t have the money to pay for it.”

There is also concern from the industry that while supermarkets continue to drive down prices, due to consumer demand, food fraud is more likely to happen.

Much of the meat that was found to be contaminated during last year’s scandal was in low cost “value” products. One of the contaminated ready meal lasagnes cost just £1.60.

Low priced beef products are still available from all major supermarkets. Iceland sells eight British beef burgers for £1.50 while Asda’s cheapest 300g lasagne is 71p.

“There is no sign of the price war ending,” the source told H&H. “With Tesco’s recent drop in profits it is looking to make more and more price promises.

“Ultimately in order to achieve this they will have to take a hit on their margin or ask suppliers to pick up the tab.

“With margins being squeezed throughout the supply chain the temptation to cut corners is always going to be there.”

This news story was first published in H&H magazine on 25 September 2014

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In a new twist to the ongoing equine database saga, EU officials look set to force Defra to fund a mandatory database for the UK next year.

Next month a proposal will be voted on in Brussels.

If this is approved, from 1 January 2015 Defra must provide an equine database. If not, the Government has until 2018 to bring one in.

The National Equine Database (NED) closed in September 2012 after the Government announced it would no longer fund it (news, 23 August 2012).

Roly Owers of the Equine Sector Council believes it’s “very likely” that the proposal will be voted in.

“Currently, 25 out of 28 member states already have mandatory databases and the 26th one [Ireland] is in process,” he said.

“We will be sorely disappointed if there is not a central equine database funded by the Government in the UK next year.”

NED was launched in 2008 to centralise horse data in the UK. There were some issues with duplicated/missing horses and costs to users.

But when it was shut, all NED services — including horse search, lost and stolen register, horse associations, pedigree, progeny and performance reports and passport check — were no longer available.

This decision was slammed by vets and industry figures (news, 23 August 2012).

A new central equine database and a tightening of equine traceability were called for in the wake of last year’s horse meat scandal.

“We have made it very clear that, without a database, the passporting system is ineffectual — and with the horse meat scandal and the equine ID issues involved with that, we believe we have a very strong case,” said Mr Owers.

The news of a new database is backed by the British Equestrian Federation.

“[We need] one that helps to support compliance with passport regulation initially and develops into a system that can be valuable for our sports and recreational activities and provides for every individual who rides a horse,” said the BEF’s Andrew Finding.

A spokesman for Defra told H&H the proposals to strengthen EU horse passport regulations and introduce mandatory national equine databases are “expected to be rolled out during the course of 2015”.

“These new measures will ensure improved security and better traceability of horses throughout Europe,” he added.

This article was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (17 April 2014)

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Welsh Deputy Minister for Agriculture Alun Davies has branded Defra’s decision to stop funding the National Equine Database (NED) as “a disaster”.

NED — the database of British-registered horses’ passports — closed in September after government funding was withdrawn.

Wales has a serious problem of horses being dumped on public and private land.

Mr Davies said Defra’s decision would reduce the enforcement authorities’ ability to check and trace owners of horses.

He has written to the English Government, urging them to rethink.

“It is a very poor decision that has made our lives exceedingly difficult,” he told H&H.

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The National Equine Database (NED) is to close in September after the government announced it will no longer fund it.

NED was launched in 2008 to centralise horse data in the UK, but Defra has confirmed that it will not be renewing the contract.

This means all NED services including horse search, lost and stolen register, horse associations, pedigree, progeny and performance reports, passport check, NEDLinks and equine reminders will no longer be available.

Andrew Finding, BEF’s chief executive, said: “Given the challenges of public expenditure we understand Defra’s decision, but it is sad that they have decided not to continue to fund NED Ltd.

“For our part we are concerned about the need for robust disease surveillance to be underpinned by an effective database.

“We are also keen to retain a database for the British Equestrian Federation where we seek to support the effective breeding of British sport and recreational horses and ponies.

“The BEF believes we need an effective equine database. We must not lose the benefits we have built in NED; we must ensure we have an enduring product to meet our range of differing but important needs.

“We will set about this work with urgency and seek to keep our community informed of progress.”

Read full story, including industry reaction to the news, in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine, on sale 23 August, 2012

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The National Equine Database says it now offers users a “speedier” experience.

NED has relocated to a new “virtual server” to “continue to better users’ experience of the site in terms of speed and information available”.

The links between horses on NED, as supplied by over 100 organisations, is being “continually improved” and some new interactive features are planned for the autumn and festive season.

NED was launched in November 2008 and contains information on over a million horses, ponies and donkeys – and has details of every passport issued by a UK passport issuing organisation (PIO).

For more information visit: www.nedonline.co.uk

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Defra has abandoned its controversial plan to create one single passport issuing organisation (PIO), which would have deprived many breed societies of vital income, but was supported by charities.

Agriculture Minister Jim Paice announced the U-turn at the British horse industry’s annual meeting, the National Equine Forum, last Tuesday (8 March), to audible gasps from the room.

Mr Paice acknowledged that tendering passport issuing to a single agency, which would also have run the National Equine Database (news, 20 January), had created a furore among breed societies.

But he warned them: “We have dropped that idea [of a single PIO], but it does not mean that the issue has gone away. I cannot say you have won. We still have to talk around this issue.”

In a letter to PIOs dated 8 March, Defra head of horse identification Donna Yates confirmed that the British Equestrian Federation’s (BEF) contract to run the NED will be extended by up to 18 months while new proposals are drawn up.

“The equine industry will be involved in the development work and we will be in contact with more details shortly,” she added.

The decision puts NED in limbo as it had planned to apply to be the single PIO and continue to run the database.

“[The future] is completely uncertain and that’s not a comfortable position,” said NED chief executive Nick Wallbridge.

A Defra spokesman added: “We’re not committed to any particular proposal at this stage. It’s too early to speculate about how passports may be issued and how information is collected and stored in the future.”

The breeding community is holding a meeting on 31 March at the NEC Birmingham to discuss the situation.

John Shenfield of the British Hanoverian Society said: “We have mixed feelings about this. Defra’s plan was not going to work, but the National Equine Database should be a function of the stud books, not the BEF [as it is currently]. We shall have to wait and see what happens.”

And Catherine Burdock of Sport Horse Breeding (GB) said: “There is a lot that needs to be done by Defra on this subject — passports are not being enforced.”

Charities are sorry the passport issue is on hold.

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers said: “We had cautiously welcomed the change to the system. The reputation of passports could not be lower — people see them as bureaucratic nonsense — but they could be a very important tool against disease.

“The current system does not work and while the breed societies do very good work, it is not credible for us to carry on with 84 PIOs. The system was not set up to be an income stream for the breed societies.”

Horse Trust chief executive Jeanette Allen said she was “very disappointed” that Defra was not going ahead with the plans for a single PIO.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (17 March, 2011)

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A year’s subscription to Horse & Hound is the prize in the National Equine Database (NED)’s Christmas photo competition.

To enter, upload festive photos of your horses to the NED website.

The photos will scroll across the NED homepage until the competition closing date on 10 January, when NED chairman Graham Suggett will select his favourite.

NED users are also reminded the database’s prices will increase with the VAT rise on 4 January and recommends that its customers update points before then.

Upload your photos at www.nedonline.co.uk

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Could information held on the National Equine Database (NED) help stem the spread of an infectious equine disease? That’s what researchers at the Animal Health Trust (AHT) are trying to find out.

The Horserace Betting Levy Board is funding the project looking at ways to control a potential outbreak of African Horse Sickness (AHS) in the UK.

And much of their work will involve scrutinising NED — the register of all Britain’s passported horses — to determine how accurate it is.

NED collects information from all equine passport-issuing organisations in the UK but there are concerns it holds data on dead animals and multiple registrations of horses.

And no one knows how many UK horses don’t have passports.

The AHT project started in January and will run for two years in close collaboration with NED and Defra.

AHT research assistant Charlotte Robin told H&H: “There is currently no up-to-date information regarding the size and distribution of the UK horse population.

“Data needs to be collated and maintained, but the quality needs to be validated.”

Researchers will contact horse owners in at least 10 sample areas to verify if the information on NED is correct.

Dr Madeleine Campbell, president of the British Equine Veterinary Association, told H&H: “AHS is an ongoing, real risk and to have evidence with pragmatic suggestions would be extremely useful.”

And Nick Wallbridge of NED, added: “We believe the research will validate the need for NED in exotic disease control strategy, highlight the need for changes to the type of data collected and show the need to monitor horses imported into the UK.”

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (22 April, ’10)

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Owners in the UK can see how popular their horse’s name is via a new name-search facility on the National Equine Database’s (NED) website this Christmas.

“It’s a fun opportunity for users to interact with NED and is aimed mainly at one-horse owners,” said spokesman Jan Rogers.

“It’s been launched for the festive period, but if it’s popular we might leave it up permanently.”

NED holds more than a million horse records and according to the data, traditional equine monikers like Dobbin are losing out to names more typically given to children.

The top 10 horse names in order of popularity are Rosie, Charlie, Molly, Jack, Murphy, Billy, Toby, Misty, Ben and Holly. All of them — except for Misty — also appear on the top 50 list of most popular baby names.

“There was a time when a Dobbin, Trigger, Flicka or Beauty could be found in every other stable at a riding school,” said NED chief executive Nick Wallbridge. “But, these days, they have been relegated to the pages of children’s fiction.”

“With nine of the top 10 names being ‘human’, it seems more and more people consider their animal as a member of the family.”

Food, seasons and Christmas-inspired appellations are also popular — especially Santa’s trusty reindeer.

Ms Rogers added: “We have 426 equines called Dancer, 177 Comets, 37 Prancers, but less than 30 each of Cupid, Vixen, Blitzen, Dasher, Rudolf and Donner.”

Devon-based horse owner Julia Woodman, said: “I bought my horse Rosie as a 12-year-old so I was not able to name her, but was very surprised to hear she has such a common name.”

To find out the popularity of your horse’s name, type it into the interactive box on NED’s home page. The system will then tell you how many other horses on the database have it too.

Visit: www.nedonline.co.uk

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Yes, the National Equine Database (NED) tells Defra who owns a horse, but NED does not want the government using it to help implement the proposed “horse tax”.

Thus NED has responded to owners angry about being on the compulsory database, as it reaches its first birthday.

Concerned readers contacted H&H after the government revealed plans to charge horse owners to fund a unit for monitoring and fighting possible equine disease outbreaks, questioning the National Equine Database’s possible role in this.

One wrote: “Following the recent publicity of the ‘Hoof Tax’, I contacted NED to find out about removing myself. EU regulations only require a horse to have a passport, so why make life easy for this ‘Orwellian’ government to tax us?”

National Equine Database chief executive Nick Wallbridge confirmed that a horse must have a passport by law and NED is Defra’s passport database, so it is impossible for owners to “opt out”.

But he added that the system is sometimes misunderstood.

“Some may believe NED is a ‘Big Brother organisation’ but this may stem from a belief that NED is involved with cost sharing arrangements.

“In fact the British Equestrian Federation, which wholly owns the National Equine Database, is part of the industry lobbying group asking Government to rethink the tax.”

Mr Wallbridge rebutted claims there is “no good reason to be associated with the database”, as two horses have already been returned to their owners as a result of NED.

NED spokesman Jan Rogers countered another reader’s complaints about the National Equine Database asking for information about income, saying there was “nothing sinister” in the questioning.

“The questionnaire is voluntary and purely to help us understand the profile and needs of our users,” she said.

She said none of the questionnaire information is supplied to the government and that the information is not available to the public, nor the police (news, 15 October).

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (19 November, ’09)

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Horsewatch groups and National Equine Database (NED) officials are disappointed that Defra refuses to give police investigating equestrian crime full access to the database because of security issues.

When NED was launched last year (news, 27 November 2008) one of its selling points was how it would help police retrieve stolen horses.

It was hoped that when officers wanted to check a microchipped or freezemarked animal they would be able to search in NED to find the owner’s name and address.

This information is only available to NED “super-users”, like Defra and NED officials.

But at the UK Horsewatch Alliance conference on 26 September NED chief executive Nick Wallbridge told police they would not get access in the near future.

“I would really like to see the police having access to information like addresses in NED and do not understand why Defra is unhappy about allowing them this privilege,” said Mr Wallbridge, “but the government is very cautious about releasing data and has said no.”

He said that currently officers seeking information must fill out an online form on NED which is sent to Defra.

“No request has ever been denied but it’s an unnecessary step,” he added.

UK Horsewatch Alliance chairman Garry Porter said: “I don’t understand why it can’t be like vehicle registration information on the police national computer system.”

A Defra spokesman said: “The police do not have direct enforcement powers under domestic horse passport laws.

Any request for information from the police must be considered under the Data Protection Act 1998.”

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (15 October, ’09)

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Two new directors have joined the National Equine Database (NED) since the organisation was criticised over lack of studbook representation on the board.

Last month Jane Holderness-Roddam, owner of West Kington Stud, and Lynne Crowden, chairman of the lead body for British Sport Horses and Ponies, were asked to join the board.

In September, the NED appointed Corrina Duncan, who founded Equine AI,and Julia Hodkin who runs Future Sport Horses as directors.

But critics called the decision “inappropriate”, saying they could gain from “inside information” — a claim the NED disputed (news, 16 October 2008).

But NED spokesman Jan Rogers said the recent appointments by the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) were not in direct response to criticism.

“Corrina stepped down to have a baby and we felt Jane and Lynne’s skills complemented each other,” she said.

Ms Crowden, who is secretary of the Warmblood Breeders Studbook, said: “We have a lot of work to do to improve the pedigree data in the NED and I hope to be able to explain clearly and simply to British studbooks what this means and how by supplying data we can help breeders make better choices.”

Ms Holderness-Roddam is chairman of the Riding for the Disabled Association, president of British Eventing and an International Equestrian Federation (FEI) technical delegate.

The BEF hopes she will improve relations between the NED and horse owners.

Last October, John Shenfield, secretary of the British Hanoverian Horse Society, was critical about a lack of studbook representation at the NED.

Now he tells H&H: “It’s good to see the board being expanded.”

The NED contains information on over a million horses, ponies and donkeys and has details of every passport issued by a UK passport issuing organisation (PIO).

Visit www.nedonline.co.uk

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (6 August, ’09)

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The British horse industry has welcomed a move to allow horses with European Union passports to be registered with the National Equine Database (NED).

As part of its drive to collate information on every horse living in the UK, NED is allowing owners of horses with non-UK passports to add their animal to the system.

And the database team is working closely with UK equestrian disciplines to include performance and pedigree data for all foreign-bred horses registered for competition purposes.

NED spokesman Jan Rogers told H&H: “Many horses enter the UK to compete and, until now, we have not been able to include them on the database.

“We want the data to complete our information [about the UK horse population], but it is also important for Defra to have a full picture of all the horses in the UK for disease prevention.”

Since NED was launched, most enquiries have been from owners whose horses are not listed because they hold non-UK passports, said Ms Rogers. This includes horses bred in Ireland.

Owners must provide photocopies of the passport to guard against fraudulent use of the system and the data will be flagged up as being user-generated and not “official”.

A £5 registration fee will be charged “to cover processing”.

Eventually, NED hopes to get data straight from the foreign passport issuing authorities when a horse enters the UK.

This article was first published in Horse & Hound (14 May, ’09)

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Graham Suggett has been appointed chairman of the National Equine Database (NED).

Graham is director of equine development at the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) and has been working for seven years on NED, which finally launched in November 2008.

The NED concept was first mooted publicly in 2004. It is a web-based system designed to allow people around the world to view identification, breeding and competition data for British horses — a joint venture between Defra and the BEF.

Graham said: “Having been involved with the National Equine Database since it was conceived and worked with Defra and NED passport issuing organisations and data providers for many years, I am delighted to be on board to see this project come to fruition.”

NED is still running a £1 introductory membership giving users access to all records available in the database for the public to view.

Jan Rogers, spokesman for NED, added: “Just under 3000 people have registered with NED to find their horses so far, and are providing useful feedback which is helping NED to improve the links between equines in the system.”

To view NED, go to www.nedonline.co.uk

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THE National Equine Database (NED) has now launched and will cost users only £1 for the first month.

The introductory offer aims to get as many of the horse-owning public as possible looking at the system, using the data and helping the NED team to do some “tidying up”.

NED spokesman Jan Rogers told H&H: “There are still some data issues — we have a number of duplicate records in the database and want people to help us link competition records to passport records.”

NED is an internet-based system that holds the data — including basic identification details (passport, microchip and unique life number) and voluntary pedigree and competition data — of every horse in the UK.

After the initial introductory £1 offer (the closing date for which has not been decided), there will be three membership categories — bronze, silver and gold — offering different levels of access. The final prices for the membership levels have not yet been set either.

More than 100 organisations have provided basic identity data to NED — which now carries records of around 1.2million horses in the UK.

Competition and breeding records from British Dressage, British Eventing, the British Show Jumping Association, thoroughbred racing, stallion and mare grading (where supplied) are included, as well as BEF Young Horse Evaluations and Futurity data since 2002.

Ms Rogers added: “We are in active discussion with the Showing Council about showing results and will add endurance and reining in due course.”

www.nedonline.co.uk

Read this news story in full in the current issue of Horse & Hound (27 November, ’08)

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FOUR years after work began on it, the National Equine Database (NED) will go finally live on 24 November.

NED is an internet-based system that holds the data — including basic identification details (passport, microchip and unique life number) and voluntary pedigree and competition data — of every horse in the UK.

The project, begun in 2004 and run jointly between Defra and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), has been beset by delays. But at the end of October, the BEF board gave the go-ahead for its launch this month.

NED is designed not only to link hold data for all British horses, but also to promote their breeding, by allowing global access to the information based on a scale of fees.

More than 100 passport issuing organisations (PIOs) have provided basic identification data and others have provided breeding and competition information on a voluntary basis.

NED now contains records of 1.2million horses in the UK, though chief executive Nick Wallbridge estimates a number of those are dead or duplicates.

“We believe we have about 960,000 current records on the system,” said Mr Wallbridge. “We’re doing a soft launch because we don’t want to raise people’s expectations — there are issues and we need to address them, and for users to tell us when they arrive.”

From 24 November, anyone can log on to www.nedonline.co.uk

To search for a horse for free, users will have to provide an email address, but to look up competition and progeny reports, or to add pictures or update information — such as height — there will be a charge. However, the crucial charges — which will enable NED to be a success — had not yet been decided.

www.nedonline.co.uk

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The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) is offering to hold an open meeting with critics to discuss a row over the organisation of the National Equine Database (NED).

In September, four new board directors were appointed to the NED, the first online “portal” for passport, pedigree and performance details of Britain’s equine population.

But two of those directors — Julia Hodkin and Corrina Duncan — have been described by critics as “inappropriate”.

Ms Hodkin runs a stud, Future Sport Horses, and Ms Duncan founded, and is an adviser to, Equine AI.

Ken Rehill, UK representative of the studbook Zangersheide, told H&H: “While I’m sure the individuals involved are very good at what they do, the two positions are inappropriate because these are people who gain income from the sales of stallion semen. They have an opportunity to benefit.”

Mr Rehill has voiced his concerns to Andrew Finding, chief executive of BEF, which owns NED.

John Shenfield, secretary of the British Hanoverian Horse Society, is disappointed no one from a studbook will sit on the NED board.

“I don’t want to knock NED — it’s a good, saleable product and I desperately want it to succeed,” he said. “But we need someone on the board who has day-to-day experience of running a studbook.”

Discussion over the appointments began on H&H’s website forum, and critics contacted the newsdesk.

One, who declined to be named, said Ms Hodkin and Ms Duncan should “surrender anything that conflicts with their NED role”, adding: “In the wider business world, you would never see this”.

But both the BEF and NED refute claims that inappropriate appointments have been made.

Mr Finding said the new directors would have no more access to sensitive data than any other member of the public.

He told H&H: “The BEF would like to meet a representative delegation of the detractors to go through the recruiting process and seek to establish how [the detractors] would like to help NED.”

For more on this, see the current issue of Horse & Hound (16 October 2008)

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The National Equine Database (NED) will be available for public use by the autumn, the director of equine development at the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) Graham Suggett told the National Equine Forum last Thursday (27 March) at the Royal Society in London.

“I have rarely been so excited about a project as I am about this database,” he said. “It is pleasing on the eye, easy to use, fast, contains an incredible amount of information and provides innumerable services of value to everyone concerned with equines.”

Work began on NED in 2004, when Defra, who was initially responsible for NED, awarded a contract worth £570,000 to Oxfordshire-based company Momenta to create a database of the UK horse population.

The database was expected to be up and running by April 2005, but was beset by numerous delays (news, 28 June 2007).

The BEF took over responsibility for the database in August 2007 (news, 23 August), since when the project progressed quickly.

The database is designed to hold information on every horse in the UK, from sex, age and height, to breeding and performance data.

Once launched in the autumn, the public can — for a fee — download and compare information on horses they want to buy or breed from.

NED now holds information on 1.15million horses, out of around 1.35million in the UK. But Mr Suggett warned some records would be duplicates or for dead horses.

He added: “And NED does not yet contain data on equines holding non-UK EU passports that have not been over-stamped by UK passport issuing organisations.”

NED now has arrangements with the Irish Horse Board and KWPN (the Dutch Warmblood studbook) who will add their information to the database.

Mr Suggett has asked minister for the horse Jonathan Shaw MP to consider making it law that continental horses are added to the British database at their port of entry to the UK.

NED is now in the final testing stage and delegates at the conference, including the Princess Royal, were invited to get involved.

A 200-strong testing group from across the horse industry has access to all the information currently on NED, except names and addresses of owners, and has been asked to check accuracy and ease of use and give feedback to NED.

Mr Suggett said before NED goes live in the autumn they must increase the amount of pedigree and performance data on the database, improve the quality of information and iron out any problems thrown up during the final testing.

But the Princess Royal warned the public’s use of the system was very important.

“People now have to use it or lose it,” she said. “To make it a sustainable resource for the future, people have to use it as often as possible when buying and breeding a horse.”

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (3 April, ’08)

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The National Equine Database (NED) is due to be tested by studs accredited with the Breeders’ Quality Mark (BQM) this month.

This second testing period of the online database will allow breeders to access information on pedigrees, performance and progeny ahead of the public. The resource is expected to go live to the general public in April.

NED is a joint project between Defra and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF).

Jan Rogers, head of equine development at the BEF, said: “It is the most amazing resource and every horse registered for a passport in the UK is on it.”

Horses with passports from other EU countries, including Eire, are not on the system yet, but Mrs Rogers believes it to be only a matter of time before all horses in the UK are registered.

“Everybody wants to see their horse on the system and there will be pressure from the public to get more information on to it,” she said.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (29 November, ’07)

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Passport issuing organisations (PIOs) are using the National Equine Database (NED) for the first time. NED is an internet-based system designed to allow global access to identification, breeding and competition data for British horses.

The project, begun in 2004 and run jointly between Defra and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), has been beset by delays. But work has continued apace since NED was taken in-house by the BEF in August, and the first open testing of the system begins this week.

Not all the functions are available yet, but PIOs will be able to search for horses and the basic data entered on each animal. Further search options will be available in January, and expectations are that the system will be completed in April 2008.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (8 November, ’07)

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THE British Equestrian Federation (BEF) has agreed to take on the management of the National Equine Database (NED) from DEFRA, even though the project is still not ready to launch for public use.

NED is an internet-based system designed to allow global access to identification, breeding and competition data for British horses. Since work began on the project in 2004, NED has been run jointly by the BEF and DEFRA.

But the database, due originally to launch in 2005, has been beset by delays. In June this year, DEFRA announced its intention to hand the project back to the BEF, and the horse industry.

Last Wednesday, after investigating the risks and potentials of taking NED on, the BEF board voted to step in.

“I’m not going to level any criticism or comment at what has and hasn’t happened in the past,” said BEF chief executive, Andrew Finding. “DEFRA and others feel the time is right to transfer responsibility to the industry. DEFRA will fund NED for the next three years, so our member bodies will not have support it financially.”

Mr Finding says the next stage of the project — checking data provision and rigorous system testing — would benefit from wider horse industry expertise.

“It will be successful if all the elements of the industry, particularly Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) and data providers and member bodies work together to make it happen,” he said.

BEF head of equine development Jan Rogers said it was exciting that NED will now be developed by an in-house team with “passion and in-depth knowledge of the equestrian industry”.

She said NED will be part-launched the data providers, who will thoroughly test their data and the whole system before NED is released to the public. By involving the data providers in the process, Ms Rogers said, some of NED’s critics should hopefully be silenced.

The BEF board will then review it before deciding when to launch it to the public.

NED itself will be run by a separate limited company — NED Ltd — to separate it legally and financially from the BEF. The BEF hopes shortly to begin searching for a board of directors.

Andrew Finding explained: “The directors will be voluntary, and we will advertise for specific competencies, probably in the areas of IT and database management, finance, marketing, fund raising, knowledge of breeding, knowledge of data provision and knowledge of running studbooks.”

To read more, see this week’s edition of Horse & Hound (23 August)

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A decision on the future of the National Equine Database (NED) has been postponed until mid-August at the earliest.

The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) was set to announce last week whether it would step in to complete the project (news, 28 June). Originally planned for public launch in 2005, NED, a joint venture between the BEF and DEFRA, has been hit by a series of delays.

But BEF chief executive Andrew Finding said the BEF board needed more time to reach its decision.

“The Passport Issuing Organisations [PIOs] want us to take a lead on NED and the industry is very committed to the project,” he explained. “The BEF board wants to take a look at some issues again, including one or two of the financial aspects. We also need to complete negotiations with DEFRA and go back to our member bodies.”

Mr Finding said he hoped a decision would be reached by 15 August.

He added: “By taking more time, the board isn’t saying no. But if we do go ahead, we’ll do it from a base that doesn’t have too great a level of commitment.”

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (2 August, ’07)

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The future of the beleaguered National Equine Database (NED) could be decided next month, as officials battle to launch the system to the public.

NED, a joint venture between DEFRA and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), is an internet-based system designed to allow global access to breeding, competition and identification data for British horses.

NED was due to be launched to the public in 2005, but a series of delays set the date back to May 2007. More technical problems led to this target being missed (news, 15 March), and now NED officials hope the BEF will step in to complete and launch the project.

BEF head of equine development Jan Rogers is also responsible for marketing NED.

She told H&H: “We presented to the BEF board in May and members were interested, but wanted to see a fully costed business plan, which we passed to them a fortnight ago. The BEF has always been behind NED. We hope the board comes to the appropriate decision.”

A BEF spokesman confirmed to H&H that the business plan was being studied by an internal committee, and that a decision would be expected by 27 July.

DEFRA has funded NED to the tune of £885,000 so far, but officials remain patient with the project.

A spokesman told H&H: “DEFRA shared in the decision to invite the BEF to take on the leadership role to complete the project. We are in discussions aimed at reaching a decision as soon as possible.”

The spokesman was unable to confirm whether more funding would be available for NED, saying that the decision would be taken at ministerial level after the BEF had made its announcement.

Mrs Rogers admitted that it would be a “worse case scenario” if the BEF opted out of taking the lead on NED.

She reasoned: “There are concerns over what the future of NED would be if the BEF moved away. The British Horse Database, which was around in the 1990s, failed and it would be very hard to make a case for yet another equine database if NED failed.”

If the BEF rejects the proposal, NED’s present management, comprising DEFRA and industry officials, will be responsible for what happens next.

Although reluctant to pre-empt any decision of the BEF board, Mrs Rogers admitted that NED chief executive Nick Wallbridge had drawn up a new timeframe for implementation, with early 2008 as the projected launch date.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (28 June, ’07)

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The public launch of the National Equine Database (NED) has been postponed — another blow to the project that has been beset by delays.

“The system is built, but when we put it through multi-user testing it didn’t deliver as expected. Contractors are working on it,” said British Equestrian Federation (BEF) head of equine development Jan Rogers, who is responsible for marketing NED.

The NED was first mooted publicly in 2004. It is a web-based system designed to allow global access to identification, breeding and competition data for British horses — a joint venture between DEFRA and the BEF.

NED was initially due to be ready in 2005, but, after a series of delays, project leaders announced last autumn that it would launch in May 2007. Now they admit the system will not be ready for public use for at least another three months.

Mrs Rogers was unable to confirm whether NED will launch in June.

Read this story in full in the current issue of Horse & Hound (15 March, ’07)

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The National Equine Database (NED) has finally gone live to UK Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs), whose staff can input and amend details directly on the system. But the venture needs more breeding and competition data to succeed.

“The critical mass for voluntary data to be held in NED before it can go live to the public is 60%,” said Jan Rogers, head of equine development at the British Equestrian Federation (BEF). “At present, it sits at 53% and we are reviewing the impact this has on the launch date of NED Online. Quantity and quality of competition and breeding data represents the value of the system — we have to have it.”

Many competition-orientated PIOs, such as Scottish Sport Horse (SSH), are already willingly giving voluntary data to NED. SSH studbook manager Liz Davies told H&H she was fully behind the system.

“We’re supplying breed and grading data — it’s all on our website already,” she said. “It’s up to us as a breed society to support it. If it helps us to sell our horses in future then we should do our best to get it right.”

But others remain cautious about providing voluntary data. SHB(GB) lawyers have been looking at the terms and conditions of supplying voluntary data to NED for some months.

“For now we will input mandatory data,” said Catherine Burdock, SHB(GB) secretary. “We are meeting our lawyers and NED on 30 August to discuss breeding and competition data.”

The BSJA has reservations, too. Spokesman Jacky Knightley said details of breeding and total winnings would be supplied, but people would need to ask the BSJA for individual breakdowns of competition data. To date the BSJA charges for such details.

For NED to succeed, it has to be available to the public by spring 2007, when DEFRA funding on the project runs out. The “public face” of the system is almost ready, according to Jan Rogers, and dates for a public launch are under discussion.

“Feedback from PIOs is going directly to the NED support team, and problems are minimal — it’s a user-friendly system,” said Jan. “There are always concerns when launching a project, but there’s reasonable support from the industry.”

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DEFRA has extended its funding for the National Equine Database (NED) in light of more delays, and has admitted disappointment that the project has not yet gone live.

In a first newsletter sent out to Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs), NED shadow board chairman and DEFRA official for the horse James Bradley said: “Last January we believed it possible to launch NED during 2005, disappointingly it proved to be more complicated than expected.”

But it is planned to give a handful of PIOs access to the database from April, with an online version hopefully going live to the public in October.

“Phase one [uploading data to give PIOs access online] is nearly complete and we hope to launch in April,” said Alison Reeves, head of DEFRA’s equine division. “We’ll roll it out for 10 organisations as a pilot, gather feedback, and then launch. We’re not announcing the public launch until we’re 100% confident it will happen on time — but it will be before the end of 2006.”

All PIOs (many of which are breed societies) are compelled to send passport data to NED. They are also asked to volunteer breeding and competition data on British-bred horses, providing trackable performance information that would-be breeders and horse buyers will pay to access. But industry hesitancy over data privacy has been holding up NED’s progress.

In the NED newsletter, Mr Bradley called for more voluntary data. “The number of organisations supplying voluntary data has been disappointing,” he said. “We require a firm commitment from data providers that they will be supplying the remainder of the voluntary data. It will not make sense to launch without it.”

But H&H spoke to several PIOs last week, some of whom were still unsure whether to volunteer information, while others would not be able to do so for several months.

Sandra Mansell, secretary of the British Connemara Pony Society, said: “We haven’t made a final decision — we’ve got our breeding data on our own website, so council wanted to wait and see how [NED] developed before we made a final decision.”

A spokesman for the Dartmoor Pony Society said providing voluntary data was a low priority because inputting would cost time and money for the small society.

Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain (SHB (GB)) secretary Catherine Burdock said the society would supply voluntary data, but only if NED’s terms and conditions were agreeable to SHB (GB)’s lawyers and after a council vote.

“The terms and conditions went to our lawyers on 13 January and, provided they are agreeable, the earliest date a decision will be made by council is in April,” said Ms Burdock. “And it is not even definitely on the agenda for that meeting.”

Caroline Collinssplatt from the Irish Draught Horse Society (GB) had concerns over the delays.

“I wondered if there was a problem,” she said. “The society is happy to provide breeding data because NED can’t be up and running for the public without it — but we will wait until we’re chased because it’s just more work.”

Whether the data will be supplied in time for a public launch to begin to fund the project is unclear at this stage. But the government has committed to funding the project for an extra six months, to the end of the 2006/07 financial year — with the industry now looking at ways to fund it, according to DEFRA.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (23 February, ’06)

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The National Equine Database (NED) will collapse unless more breed societies agree to supply pedigree data, the British Equestrian Federation’s consultant director of breeding has warned.

Graham Suggett, the driving force behind NED, told delegates at the National Equine Forum last week that resistance and protectionism among breed societies is threatening the database’s success.

DEFRA will fund NED for two years — starting nine months ago — after which it must pay its own way by selling data through its website. NED will pay competition bodies and breed societies for competition and pedigree data provided over and above that required by DEFRA.

“NED’s success depends first on voluntary provision of performance data. Having spoken to all main competition bodies, we are absolutely confident on this and competition data is flowing in nicely,” said Suggett.

“Second, we need verified pedigree data — and here we have met resistance. It is the only thing that links all the horses together, and unless we have sire and dam data, it will just be a list of half a million horses, which doesn’t mean anything.”

The deadline for Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) to tell NED whether they will submit pedigree data is today (31 March), although they can reconsider. Last week, NED had received three positive responses out of around 70 breed societies, and one negative one.

Andrea Mercer, studbook manager at Weatherbys, which has about 150,000 live horses registered, said the organisation was still considering whether to provide data. “We’d prefer to have a formal contract because we’d need to make sure our data is safeguarded,” she said.

Suggett said that concerns centred around releasing information that has so far been restricted to members — “they think we’re going somehow to mess about with it” — data protection and the lack of a formal contract, which NED can’t provide until NED Society Ltd is up and running.

“I understand these fears, but most are unfounded and come down to a protectionist policy. The other one that comes up is ‘What do we get out of it? We’re doing quite nicely as we are.’ But that’s narrow-minded because we have to think of the whole industry,” he pointed out.

“Success depends on the volume of data sold — for instance, to the insurance industry, the overseas native pony market, for research and so on. If we don’t get enough performance and pedigree data, we won’t get enough sales, and therefore no income. There would still be a database, but it would be run by DEFRA and would not be available to the industry. PIOs will have to submit core data by law, but will get nothing back. I really urge breed societies to make use of this opportunity rather than let it collapse.”

Momenta, the company setting up the database, is test-running the system, which will be ready for PIOs to input and edit data in May, and open to the public as a website in July.

This news article was first published in Horse & Hound (31 March ’05)

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Momenta, the company setting up the National Equine Database (NED), now has ½ million records and hopes to “go live” on the project this spring.

The news comes after a third workshop, held last month in Stoneleigh, at which Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) were updated on progress and shown how to input data once the system is live.

“We’ve had data from about 50 organisations,” says David Pegg, NED project manager. “We’ve been given more data than the number of passports issued — it’s coming from studbooks.

“PIOs are having trouble filling in some fields [sections of the database] but we are addressing all these concerns.”

Ensuring there is no duplication of records will be one of the NED’s toughest challenges, but is vital if the system is to provide accurate statistics for the British breeding industry.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (6 January, ’04)

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Plans are being revealed this week for Britain’s national equine database (NED), which may be up and running in as little as two years.

The database will be the result of a partnership between the equine industry, represented by the British Equestrian Federation (BEF), and DEFRA, with the government funding both the development and the start-up costs. After two years — the envisaged start-up period — the project is to be self-funding.

Basic data collected on every registered equine in the UK from the 70-plus passport issuing organisations (PIOs), breed societies and competition bodies will be transferred to a main database, and stored electronically.

The compulsory information for each equine will be: Unique Equine Life Number (UELN), name, date of birth, sex, colour and height (as it is on passports). However, additional information on breeding, evaluation and performance data — the type of information held by breed societies, competition bodies and some PIOs — is to be included only if the holders are willing to provide it.

“Much depends upon the co-operation of the PIOs and competition bodies, and their willingness to provide this information,” says Graham Suggett, BEF consultant director of breeding. “But we’re not asking anyone to do anything different to what they do now, except to let us have it.”

Graham is confident that NED will not suffer the same fate as the BHD, which folded in 2001 after nine years in operation.

He says: “There is nothing in the world like the system we’re envisaging: it’s going to be the Rolls-Royce of databases. DEFRA gets a database to assist in managing the passport scheme and the surveillance and control of disease in equines.

“Breeders get a tool to assist in selective matings; buyers get information to assist in purchasing horses and ponies; British Breeding gets a repository for the valuable information coming from young horse evaluations, which will enable research work to progress the development of breeding indices for mares and stallions.

“The equine industry eventually will have higher quality horses and ponies, which means more success in competitions with British-bred horses, improved export potential, better prices and a more prosperous British breeding industry.”

The envisaged web-based system will allow anyone in the world access to the data, for which there will be a charge. The whole thing will be run by a non-profit-making company, National Equine Database (NED) Ltd.

Read the full story, including why the BSJA is planning to withhold its breeding details from the database, pus the views of industry experts, in today’s issue of Horse & Hound (29 January).

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