Please take note of the following guidelines which must be adhered to when completing marking charts for our customers.

VCI Registered

For registrations in the Republic of Ireland, vets must be registered with the Veterinary Council of Ireland.

Compliant Transponders

In order to obtain a passport for an equine, vets may now only implant a microchip obtained from one of the Irish Passport Issuing Authorities (PIO’s). This requirement has been implemented by DAFM to ensure that the correct type of microchip is used in equines and that microchip number ranges are precisely controlled.

The Most Common Compliant Types:

Leisure Horse Ireland 3721403*

Horse Sport Ireland 3721414*

Connemara Pony Breeders Society 3721004*

Weatherbys Ireland GSB Ltd 9851010*

Pre-Existing Transponders

You must thoroughly scan the animal to check for a pre-existing transponder (microchip). Where a pre existing (15 digit number) transponder is found , the owner should first check that the animal was not registered previously.

If the animal was registered previously in Ireland, the only course of action is to apply for a duplicate passport from the issuing authority that provided the original passport.

If the animal was issued with an identification type passport from an issuing authority outside of Ireland, we can assist in obtaining a replacement passport where the UELN can be established (slightly higher fees apply).

Where to check:

LHI Registrations Online Checker: https://www.lhi.ie/#mcpcheck / 091 577577

DEFRA UK Online Checker: https://www.equineregister.co.uk/home

Dept of Agriculture / Horse ID Section Tel. 01 5058881

Horse Sport Ireland Tel. 045 850800

Connemara Pony Breeders Society Tel. 095 21863 (3721004* chips)

Weatherbys Ireland Tel. 045 879979 (9851010* chips)

If the existing transponder is found to be unregistered and is of a compliant type, just handwrite the number on the markings and the owner can proceed with the application.

If the existing transponder is found to be unregistered but is not of a compliant type (eg 900*, 972* etc) the vet must implant another compliant transponder and record both (all) numbers on the markings.

Fitness for Human Consumption / Ageing of Foals

Under the EU Legislation effective January 2016, animals must be registered within 6 months of their birth. Where the animal has not had a passport issued within 12 months of birth they will be permanently excluded from the food chain and LHI are obliged to stamp their passport ‘Not Fit for Human Consumption’.

Accordingly we are completely reliant on the vet certification / markings to establish the age of an animal presented for registration.

Therefore great care must be taken in detailing the age of an animal (where eligibility for the food chain is a consideration) as an error can have very serious ramifications for all concerned down the line.

Please also note that under current DAFM guidelines, further verification of foal applications (spot checks) do take place and you may be requested for further verification regarding age.

Marking Chart Completion

Under the EU Legislation effective January 2016, markings must be completed according to FEI or Weatherbys guidelines (follow the links to download pdf copies), guidelines insist that both the written and silhouette sections must be completed (“as per diagram” is not acceptable). Black and Red pens can only be used and transponder location must be detailed on the diagram “M”.

Complete all sections and in particular pay attention to these common omissions:

  • Signature applied
  • Official Vet Stamp applied
  • Markings Date
  • Place of Marking
  • Microchip Location
  • Species Confirmed
  • VCI Reference Number

Markings are only good for within 6 months of signing, where an owner contacts you to re-certify of an out of date marking chart, you must scan the horse to confirm the chip number and check the markings. You must then sign, stamp and date the chart again. If there are any discrepancies, new markings must be taken and the old chart attached to the new one.

If a customer has had markings taken on a non LHI chart, we can usually still accept this but they must complete one of our application forms before we can process the application.