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National Equine Database
or Whatever happened to Data Protection?
The following information comes from the Defra website
'The Government is working in collaboration with the equine industry in order to establish a National Equine Database that will record details of every horse issued with a passport.
'The information will, initially, be used to monitor the issuing of horse passports that are required under European Union legislation. Eventually, it is intended that additional information will be collected that will improve the Government's ability to carry out veterinary surveillance and, if necessary, disease control of horses. The information gathered will also assist in the development of effective economic strategies for the UK horse industry.
'The National Equine Database will also act as a platform for the equine industry to centrally collect information relating to breeding and performance evaluation. This information will be supplied to the database on a voluntary basis by both Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) and the competition disciplines. It is envisaged that this information will enable an improvement in the overall quality and competitiveness of horses in this country. Information from the database on breeding and performance will be made available to the public for a fee.
'Further information can be obtained from Sean Hogan at Defra on 0207 904 6948 or email sean.w.hogan@defra.gsi.gov.uk.'