OUR POLICY FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF VETERINARY MEDICINES IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE HORSE PASSPORT REGULATIONS.
The horse passport regulations were introduced to allow veterinary surgeons to continue to use a wide variety of sedative and therapeutic drugs for the welfare of their patients. As horses are a food species in Europe, steps had to be taken to protect human consumers from possibly fatal reactions after eating meat containing drugs to which they are allergic. The passport scheme allows the individual identification of every horse so that at possible slaughter for human consumption, their history of administered drugs can be seen.
Passports have a section to record administered drugs, but also an option to declare that the identified horse will never be slaughtered for human consumption. Some drugs such as Phenylbutazone (Bute) and Danilon, once given on any single occasion, preclude a horse from ever being slaughtered for human consumption even if the owner has intended to keep this option open.
If the horse is declared as never for human consumption we can use all the appropriate drugs your horse might need in any situation.
This practice has a policy of only treating horses which are declared as not for human consumption. Many breed society passports are already so signed when they arrive. If you have not already signed this declaration in your horse’s passport or have a new animal, we will require you to sign the declaration if you want our practice to care for and treat your horse. We will have to counter-sign your declaration in your passport for you, and we will also make a note that your horse is signed-out in your horse’s clinical record.
John Dunsford MRCVS
The horse passport regulations were introduced to allow veterinary surgeons to continue to use a wide variety of sedative and therapeutic drugs for the welfare of their patients. As horses are a food species in Europe, steps had to be taken to protect human consumers from possibly fatal reactions after eating meat containing drugs to which they are allergic. The passport scheme allows the individual identification of every horse so that at possible slaughter for human consumption, their history of administered drugs can be seen.
Passports have a section to record administered drugs, but also an option to declare that the identified horse will never be slaughtered for human consumption. Some drugs such as Phenylbutazone (Bute) and Danilon, once given on any single occasion, preclude a horse from ever being slaughtered for human consumption even if the owner has intended to keep this option open.
If the horse is declared as never for human consumption we can use all the appropriate drugs your horse might need in any situation.
This practice has a policy of only treating horses which are declared as not for human consumption. Many breed society passports are already so signed when they arrive. If you have not already signed this declaration in your horse’s passport or have a new animal, we will require you to sign the declaration if you want our practice to care for and treat your horse. We will have to counter-sign your declaration in your passport for you, and we will also make a note that your horse is signed-out in your horse’s clinical record.
John Dunsford MRCVS
