If markings, passports and microchips are not fool proof in the identification of a horse then what is? As a follow up to last week’s comment on the battle to prevent falsification of animals for horse meat slaughter, I put that question to the breeding department of Horse Sport Ireland and the clear answer I got was DNA.

“DNA is one hundred percent individual to each horse and cannot be fiddled with,” explained HSI Breeding Director Alison Corbally.

So, naturally my next question was: “why is it not being universally used in Ireland?”

The answer is that the EU does not require a DNA test for horses getting a passport. Hence it would require special Oireachtas legislation for it to become mandatory in Ireland. Such legislation has not has not been brought into place and as a result we are left with passports, microchips and markings as the only mandatory options in the identification of horses.

How DNA works

To obtain a green passport from HSI a DNA test is required. Green passports are only given to horses that have both the sire and dam recorded. When any horse is registered they are examined by a veterinary surgeon. This examinations includes microchipping and completing a marking chart.

For horses getting a green passport there is another part to the examination. The veterinary surgeon will also take a hair sample. This is done by pulling out six to 10 strands by the root. In that hair sample the full individual and unalterable DNA of that animal is unquestionably included.

The sample is sent to HSI along with the marking chart. A number is assigned to the DNA and it is put into the data base operated by Weatherbys Ireland. The extra cost to the breeder is somewhere between €10 and €20. If a question later arises about the identity of that animal its DNA can be infallibly checked by Weatherbys.

Meat problems

With DNA as the simple answer, one is right to ask why the problems regarding horse meat persist. In the first place, despite legislation that all Irish equines must be registered and have a passport, there are still individuals who refuse to be part of the system.

Currently there are a small number of horses in Ireland who are not identified nor are there any records of ownership. Thankfully this is becoming less common and the number of unrecorded horses is on the decline.

Secondly, despite submissions by the breeding department of HSI to both the EU and to our own Department of Agriculture, mandatory DNA testing of all equines here and around Europe has yet to become a reality. According to Alison Corbally: “Ireland could take a lead in this by creating its own legislation.” For all our sakes let’s hope it does because DNA does not lie.