This is a letter I intend sending to DEFRA. It may be futile, but I feel I have to take issue with them on this.
'I write to express my disappointment that Defra has implemented legislation requiring all passport applications to be accompanied by microchip details, with no provision made for horse owners to choose freezemarking as an alternative to the microchip.
As DEFRA will no doubt be aware, it is possible for microchips to be removed from equines, by unscrupulous dealers and thieves, and for horses thus 'cleansed' to be sold for meat while their passports and microchips are falsely applied to a replacement horse. It is also possible for microchips to move within the horse's body, making the chip's location and reading difficult or impossible.
In the case of the chipped horse being stolen, its recovery greatly depends on a person with a scanner to be in the right place at the right time to identify the animal and intervene to prevent its loss.
The abundance of various bodies offering chipping, and the lack of requirement for those bodies to submit all information to a central database can be the cause of further impediment in the successful recovery of stolen animals. Vets who offer the microchipping service may use different companies from which to source their chips, and the subsequent data is not centrally collated. If the relevant paperwork held by the owner is misplaced, or stolen, there could be much delay and confusion before an informed search can be instigated.
Freezemarking of horses is a visual declaration of responsible ownership. Horses thus marked are immediately identifiable to anyone who may be interested, and there is no requirement for specialist personal presence and equipment before a suspected stolen animal can be checked. Once a horse is freezemarked, it is identifiable for life. It is evident that thieves rarely steal freezemarked horses, seemingly preferring to lift those which are less likely to be spotted by the casual observer.
Farmkey, the company who offer the service, have a central database to which all information is provided, and that information is immediately available to those concerned in the recovery of stolen horses. Indeed, Farmkey boast a 98% success rate in returning stolen horses to their owners. The police forces, equine welfare bodies, and the horsewatch schemes rate Farmkey and freezemarking very highly.
I appreciate that not all owners would wish to freezemark their equines, and this may be the main reason for microchips to be the method of ID favoured by DEFRA, but I am greatly disappointed that owners have not been furnished with the ability to opt for freezemarking as their preferred, or chief, means of identifying their animals.
As the law stands, all passport applications must now include details of microchip ID. Owners who wish to have their horses freezemarked, and who may have little faith in microchipping, are obliged to have a chip inserted, and then to incur extra cost to have their animals marked with a visual deterrent.
I would like DEFRA to consider giving owners the right to choose to freezemark their horses over microchipping, and for those owners to be recognised by DEFRA as responsible.'
