VEATS Consultation
Your views are sought on the proposed Voluntary Equine Animals Trading Scheme.
Please read the details below and give us your feedback by completing our quick survey.
Voluntary Equine Animals Trading Scheme
Version 6th October 2011
Introduction
1. The objective of the scheme it to raise standards of animal health and welfare in scheme member’s animals and premises on a voluntary self-funding basis so as to add value to their commercial operations and to permit the general public to purchase horses* from scheme members with confidence as to the horse’s history, identification and general health.
Membership
2. Membership will be open to all those who buy and sell horses to the public, other traders or producers and to other scheme members on a regular basis within Great Britain. Members must be based in Great Britain and agree to comply with the scheme conditions. They must pay an annual fee of between £300 and £500 depending on size. (Final figure to be fixed at a later stage by the scheme organisers)
3. The conditions of the scheme will be drawn up by the scheme organisers and will be subject to amendment by the scheme organisers after consultation with the members. Any such changes will not come into effect until 12 months after notification although exceptionally changes may have to be implemented in a shorter timeframe.
4. On application to join the scheme the applicant’s premises will be inspected by an independent person appointed by the scheme organisers accompanied by the owner’s veterinary surgeon. A report together with a recommendation will be submitted to the organisers. If the recommendation is favourable the applicant will become a registered member of the scheme. If the recommendation is unfavourable the application for membership will be rejected. In other situations the scheme organisers may give the applicant conditional provisional time limited membership to allow the registered premises or operating practices to be brought up to the standards of the scheme. The applicant will be given a schedule of the improvements that must be made. The scheme organisers will be available to give advice as to how the necessary improvements should be achieved.
5. The scheme organisers may suspend or remove the name of a member from the list of registered members if they fail to meet the conditions of the scheme (see paragraphs 8-24).
6. A scheme member may leave the scheme at any time on notifying the scheme organisers of his intention to do so. As from the time that he leaves the scheme he may not sell any animals as if they belonged to the Voluntary Equine Animals Trading Scheme.
7. Each member should have in place an agreed health plan with their nominated veterinary practice to cover routine vaccination, worming and other aspects of the management of their animals that has a bearing on their health and welfare.
Scheme Conditions
8. Each applicant must nominate a main address and all the premises where the applicant’s horses are to be held within the scheme together with a map to show the geographical position of all these premises that will be registered by the scheme organisers.
9. All horses on the registered premises must meet scheme standards at all times with the exception of those animals in isolation or that are kept physically separate and are not for sale. The operating practices on the premises must be in full compliance with the appropriate Code of Practice for the Welfare of Equidae made under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 or the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 and the appendix that covers Equine Establishments [in draft]
10. Animals other than horses*, such as cattle, sheep, dogs and cats, may be present on the registered premises.
11. Each applicant must nominate a veterinary practice that will be involved with the care of the horses on the registered premises and for carrying out routine veterinary procedures such as vaccinations.
12. Each applicant must agree in writing that his veterinary surgeon may make reports on the member’s scheme activities to the scheme organisers in a form and at intervals to be agreed by the scheme organisers.
13. The member must notify his nominated veterinary practice should any of his animals, including those in isolation, show signs of illness such as severe or ongoing lameness, reluctance to move, off their food or water, excessive tendency to lie down, signs of colic, excessive coughing, unusual discharge from the nose, rectum or vagina, swelling of the head, limbs or under the skin or significant weight loss.
14. All horses entering the registered premises must be kept physically separate from other horses in accommodation or a paddock identified for the purpose for a period of 14 days before having any contact with any other horses on the registered premises unless they are being moved directly from another registered premises within the scheme, without coming into contact with other horses.
Horses that are in isolation may be moved to another scheme member’s premises but must commence a new period of 14 days isolation. Hygiene precautions must be put in place during this period of isolation to minimise the risk of disease spread by direct contact, by equipment or by personnel. Horses may be held in isolation in batches but on an all in all out basis. As a rule of thumb horses in isolation should be separated by a distance of at least 20 feet from any other horse and should not be in the same air space within any building.
15. Horses may not be released from isolation/separation until 14 days have elapsed. The member shall not permit these animals to be released if they do not appear to be in good health, in which case their veterinary practice shall have been informed in accordance with paragraph 13. The member shall make an entry in his records as to when the animals entered and were released from isolation.
16. The member may move competition and other animals onto his premises that are not intended for sale, but these animals must be kept in separate accommodation, identified for the purpose, to those animals that are intended for sale.
17. Animals that are fully vaccinated against equine influenza * may be moved to and return from a show or competition* without going through isolation referred to in paragraph 14, on return to the registered premises if such movements take place on the same day. Horses may stay overnight at a show or competition so long as the event is affiliated to one of the organisations listed in the definitions.
18. All horses on the registered premises must be identified by a passport and microchip. All horses entering the registered premises should be accompanied by their own passport at the time of entry. Those animals that do not have a passport shall be placed in isolation, in accordance with paragraph 14, and shall not be sold or moved off the premises until a passport has been obtained in accordance with the UK passport legislation. Those horses that are not microchipped shall have a microchip inserted by a veterinary surgeon after entering the registered premises and before they leave the premises or are sold. The chip number shall be entered in the passport and the NED and the chip supplier must be informed.
19. Members must either have their own microchip reader or have access to a reader through, for instance, their nominated veterinary practice.
20. Details of all vaccinations and blood test results relating to infectious disease shall be entered in the passport.
21. The recording of the administration of medicinal products shall be recorded in accordance with Defra legislation and Guidance issued by Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate.
22. Any horses entering the registered premises and which have originated or have travelled outside the British Isles* may have undergone a Coggins or ELISA test for Equine Infectious Anaemia with negative results after entry or re-entry into the UK and should be accompanied by their original passport or identification document. The result should have been entered in the passport. If they have not been so tested they shall be sampled and tested with negative results whilst in isolation, required by paragraph 14, by the member’s veterinary surgeon before being offered for sale.
23. The member may only sell animals in the scheme that are in good health and show no signs of illness.
24. The details of all horses purchased and sold shall be reported to the relevant Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) in accordance with the relevant UK Passport Regulations.
25. Details of all horses on the registered premises shall be entered on the National Equine Database (NED) through the relevant Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) in the UK. In the case of a PIO outside the UK the report shall be made to the NED, directly. (Further discussions will take place with Defra and the NED as to how these arrangements will work in practice, to ensure that any bureaucracy is minimised and that notifications on change of ownership can take place electronically without the need to send the passport to the PIO, (in line with the procedure required in England)
Infectious Disease
26. When the member suspects and reports any signs of illness in any horses on any of his registered premises to his nominated veterinary practice the veterinary surgeon must take steps to determine the extent and seriousness of the illness that has been reported.
27. In some situations the veterinary surgeon will be able to ascertain that the signs of disease described are not serious and that no further action is necessary.
28. In other situations the veterinary surgeon will need to visit the premises and to make further enquiries as to the seriousness of the signs of disease described.
29. Where any infectious disease is confined to horses in isolation in accordance with paragraph 14 and they are under the care of a veterinary surgeon, no further action should be necessary unless the veterinary surgeon is of the opinion that the infectious disease could put other horses on the registered premises at risk. These animals may not be released from isolation until the veterinary surgeon is content that they are no longer a disease risk to other horses on the registered premises.
30. Where the veterinary surgeon suspects the presence of an infectious condition* on the registered premises which may put other animals at risk the veterinary surgeon must advise the member that he may not sell any horses until further notice. The veterinary surgeon shall confirm this advice in writing.
31. Where a member has more than one premises it should be possible to limit the restriction on sale of horses to a single premises so long as precautions are taken by the member, and agreed with his veterinary surgeon, to prevent the spread of the illness from one premises to another.
32. The attending veterinary surgeon should also advise the member on what additional measures the member should put in place to isolate any horses that are to be moved onto the registered premises whilst the outbreak continues.
33. If it is essential that visitors enter the premises the attending veterinary surgeon should also advise the member on what precautionary measures should be taken by these visitors whilst the outbreak continues.
34. The veterinary surgeon shall place a copy of his findings and the action that he has recommended on the member’s records.
35. If an outbreak of a serious infectious disease has occurred on the member’s registered premises the veterinary surgeon may wish to discuss the action that it is proposed will be taken, in confidence, with the scheme organiser’s veterinary advisor.
36. The member’s veterinary surgeon shall keep the outbreak of disease under review. When the veterinary surgeon is content that the outbreak is under control and no signs of disease are evident the veterinary surgeon will advise the member that the member may resume sales of horses. The veterinary surgeon shall confirm this advice in writing.
37. At all times the veterinary surgeon must be guided by the underlying principle that the member should only sell horses that are fit, healthy and show no signs of illness.
38. Any expenses which result from the disease outbreak and charges made by the veterinary surgeon shall be borne by the member.
Records
39. The member or his nominated agent must keep detailed records in an electronic format of all equines moved onto and off the premises. The records should be in a format that allows a list to be readily available of all horses on the premises at any one time. The member or his nominated agent shall send a short report to the scheme organisers at the end of each calendar month, electronically, to record the number of horses on the registered premises at the end of the month and how many of these animals are in isolation. This report should be copied to the member’s nominated veterinary practice. The template for that report will be prepared by the scheme organisers.
40. The member’s veterinary practice will also submit a short report at the end of each calendar month to the scheme organisers recording the number of visits made to the member’s premises in that month and the purpose of each visit and also details of any reports made by the member as to the presence of illness in horses on the member’s premises. The template for that report will be prepared by the scheme organisers.
Inspection and Audit
41. Following an application to join the scheme the premises shall be visited by an inspector appointed by the scheme organisers and by a veterinary surgeon from the applicant’s nominated practice. The costs for the veterinary surgeon’s attendance shall be paid by the applicant.
42. The inspector will ensure that the applicant’s premises are in full compliance with the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses/Equidae and that the records as required by the scheme can be completed.
43. The inspector will also ensure that the applicant understands the details of the scheme and that the conditions of the scheme must be observed at all times.
44. An inspection by an independent auditor will be made annually and a report lodged with the scheme organisers and with the nominated veterinary practice. In particular the auditor will check that the scheme conditions are being met and that the records required by the scheme are complete and readily available. This visit should be made with the minimum of advance notice.
45. The member may, if he wishes, ask a veterinary surgeon from his nominated practice to be present at the annual audit visit.
46. If the report reveals that there is a serious failure to comply with the conditions of the scheme, consideration will be given by the scheme organisers to suspension of membership until the scheme conditions are being met in full. Where the failures are less serious the member may be advised, in writing, that the scheme conditions must be met within a specific timescale.
47. Continuing failure to comply with the scheme conditions may result in the membership of the scheme being revoked by the scheme organisers.
Fees
48. A non refundable annual fee of between £300 and £500 will be payable to the scheme organisers, depending upon size.
49. The fees will be set by the scheme organisers after consultation with the members to cover the administration of the scheme and the audit costs but not the cost of any veterinary attendance, which will be borne by the member. Publicity and Administration
50. Both the members and the scheme organisers may publicise the scheme and the members of the scheme in any way that will promote the scheme and the horses within the scheme by any means including through the internet.
51. Administration of the scheme will be the responsibility of the scheme organisers who will put in place an agreed procedure whereby the members of the scheme are consulted on any changes to the rules and to the charges.
52. Definitions
Horse- includes horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids
Other animals- includes cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, dogs or cats
The veterinary advisor to the scheme organisers will be an experienced equine practitioner appointed by the scheme organisers on a recommendation from the British Equine Veterinary Association
The British Isles is defined as England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland together with Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
The scheme organisers will comprise members of the Equine Disease Coalition together with representation from the membership of the scheme.
The scheme co-ordinator will have responsibility for the day to day running of the scheme, managing memberships, undertaking inspections and promoting the scheme throughout Great Britain
Infectious conditions includes influenza, strangles, abortion/neonatal foal death and/or neurological forms of Equine Herpes Virus infection or any notifiable disease of equines. Registered premises may include outlying grass fields without buildings.
The term ‘must’ or ‘shall’ means mandatory whilst the term ‘should’ means voluntary or permissive
The scheme member may use his registered premises for other purposes such as livery, training, breeding or riding.
The scheme member may use more than one veterinary practice but only one must be nominated for the purposes of meeting the conditions of the scheme
Fully vaccinated in paragraph 17 means fully vaccinated against influenza and up to date in accordance with current BHA recommendations.
The details shall have been entered in the horse’s passport.
Affiliated events are those run by British Dressage, British Eventing, British Driving, British Equestrian Federation, British Equestrian Vaulting, British Horseball, British Harness Association, British Horseracing Authority, British Showjumping, Endurance GB, Hurlingham Polo Association, Pony Association, Scottish Endurance Riding, Side Saddle Association.
