New AI legislation welcomed
Legislation has caught up with practice in the breeding world in the form of the Veterinary Surgery (Artificial Insemination [AI] of Mares) Order 2004.
Under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, AI can only be carried out by vets; but for years now, AI technicians — some trained, some not — have been performing the procedure with DEFRA’s knowledge, but no formal law allowing them to do so. The new law enables AI technicians who have obtained a certificate of exemption to carry out the procedure legally.
Leading AI vets have campaigned for the legislation for some time in a bid to formalise current arrangements and phase out untrained AI technicians.
Three centres are approved by DEFRA to train technicians and provide a certificate of exemption, but only one — Twemlows Hall in Shropshire — offers courses to lay people. Twemlows has trained about 60 people each year since 2001, ranging from breeders and students to vets – the requirement is that trainees must have experience of horses.
“The procedure itself is straightforward: it’s everything else – quality control, hygiene, health of the mare and so on – that are even more important.”
Richard Matson, who runs the AI Trade Association, says: “What should happen now is that DEFRA will catch up with people who are practising without training or accountability. But there are several well-known and competent people performing AI who are not trained.
“The procedure itself is straightforward: it’s everything else — quality control, hygiene, health of the mare and so on — that are even more important.”
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
DEFRA officials plan to write to untrained technicians they know are practising to inform them of the new law.
Read the full story in the current issue of Horse & Hound (15 July)
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
