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Passport Regulations that came into force in July 2009 state:
- A horse's passport must be carried each time it is transported. An
inspector can also require that a passport be produced within three hours at any other time
- Failure to comply with the regulations is punishable by a fine of up to £5,000
- The regulations apply to all movement of horses - whether it is a
personal journey of a couple of miles, or commercial transport of hundreds of miles.
PRP Rescue handle thousands of horsebox and trailer breakdowns each year,
providing professional horse transport in the event that a vehicle cannot be repaired at roadside. PRP ascertains at the beginning of each incident whether any animals on board are traveling with their
passports. According to our data from the past year, well over 60% of horsebox drivers are traveling without their horses passports. If you
break down or have an accident and require professional transport to get your horses home please bear in mind the consequences of not having the correct documentation with the horses. Professional
transporters are perfectly within their rights to refuse to move your animals. It is not acceptable to simply possess a passport for each horse - the usual response we get is 'well I've got it at
home' - the passport must be with the animal. Imagine the response of a passport control officer at an airport if you were trying to go on holiday and you had a passport but it was 'at home'!
See http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/movements/horses/horses_qa.htm for further information.
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