Renfrewshire Council

Trading standards enforce horse passport legislation. Failure to comply with the law can lead to prosecution with heavy penalties and possible imprisonment.

Information included in a horse passport

Horse passports are small booklets that contain details about your horse, including:

• its appearance, which is illustrated in diagram called a 'silhouette'
• its age
• its breed/type
• all the medications it has been given (if it has been declared 'intended for human consumption')

Why you need a horse passport

You could be fined up to £5000 if you don't have an up-to-date horse passport.

You are responsible for making sure you have an up-to-date horse passport so your horse can be identified.

Horse passports are important because they help to:

• make sure horses that have been treated with certain medicines don't make it into food intended for humans
• stop the possible spread of diseases, like African Horse Sickness, by restricting horse movements, and
• prevent the sale of stolen horses - when you buy a horse, its passport proves its identity

If you don't have a valid horse passport, you can't do things like:

• use your horse in competitions, like a race or show
• move your horse to a new premises
• sell or export your horse
• use your horse for breeding
• have your horse slaughtered for human consumption

Make sure your horse passport is available for inspection

You may be asked to show your horse's passport by a trading standards inspector from your local council, e.g. at a horse market.

If you are asked for the passport, but are in the process of applying for one, let the inspector know. If necessary, they will check your application details with the organisation issuing the passport.

Buying and selling a horse

You must not buy or sell a horse without a horse passport. Contact us if you are sold a horse without a passport - we may prosecute the seller.

For up to date information and a listing of those who are authorised to issue passports, please visit the Gov website.