July 1, 2010
European Union legislation passed in 2008 required all foals to be micro-chipped by July 1, 2009. New legislation requires all horses to have valid passports issued from an approved studbook or agency as well.

Ireland’s Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith has consulted with representatives of that country’s equine industry to determine how best to transpose the EU regulations into Irish law. He continues to engage with the industry on developing a system to monitor the movement of horses and the transfer of ownership.

For further details, see Ray Ryan’s article in the Irish Examiner.