Equine Species Working Group

BENEFITS OF A NATIONAL EQUINE ID PROGRAM

The issue of animal identification is a very timely issue in the United States today.  There has been a broad call from industry, regulators, lawmakers, trade partners and others to identify livestock in order to facilitate disease management in the case of a disease outbreak.  Members of the horse industry’s leading groups have been researching this issue and have come up with potential benefits.

The overall goal and main benefit of a national, standardized equine identification program in the United States is disease management. 

Specific benefits of Equine Identification:

• Reduce potential effect and enhance control of equine disease outbreaks. A national identification system for equines in the United States would  enable officials to identify particular animals that have been exposed to a contagious disease and isolate them in order to prevent the disease from becoming more widespread.

• Maintain equine commerce and movement of horses in the case of a disease outbreak. Disease outbreaks can stop all movement and commerce regarding livestock, including horses.  This has been clearly demonstrated with the foot and mount outbreak in the U.K., the recent discovery of BSE in the United States and the outbreaks of Vesicular Stomatitis in the U.S.

• Assist equestrian events  in ensuring a healthy environment for participating horses. Most major events involving livestock in the United States require some sort of health certification, including negative Coggins Test.  A National ID system could enhance these requirements by having better systems to insure the health of the animals involved.

• Expedite recovery and identification of horses in case of loss due to natural disaster, theft or accident.  A permanent ID system for horses could be used in emergency situations to link the horse to a premise.  In addition, the ID system could be utilized in the case of a theft to facilitate return of the animals to the owner.

• Facilitate import and export of equine.  Many horses are exported and imported into the United States each year.  A positive national identification system could expedite these processes and allow for more effective means of identifying the animals moving internationally. 

• Uphold the horse industry as a responsible member of the livestock community.  The importance of the horse industry in cooperating with the entire livestock industry in the case of a disease outbreak cannot be overstated.  The implementation of an ID system for the equine industry would allow the industry to work in concert with other members of the livestock industry to quickly trace back diseased or exposed animals.