Farmers keeping horses or other equines are being urged to return their completed equine census forms ahead of this week’s deadline of 20 December 2024. The date of this year’s equine census was 30 November and all registered equine holdings, possessing equines including horses, ponies, donkeys, mules or zebras, must complete the census.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue released the statement urging farmers to comply with the census.

He said: “My Department is introducing a new Equine Traceability System in 2025. The new system is based on the Equine Census 2024 returns, so it is critically important that the census documents are completed and returned.

“Accountability can only be delivered through robust traceability. This year’s equine census, which took place on 30 November, is the first step in the introduction of a new equine traceability system.

“Equine Census 2024 forms were delivered to all registered premises where equines are kept, and these must be returned. Returning your census is a legal requirement, but it is also an important way to show you believe in accountability as a responsible horse keeper,” the minister continued.

Where a premises is registered to keep equines but there are none present there on the night of the census, a census return must still be completed to indicate that.

The minister added that the census provides the Department with “valuable information in disease prevention and addressing public health concerns in dealing with lost, straying or stolen horses”.

He warned that failure to return a census may prevent equine owners from registering foals and exporting or selling of horses.

The submission of a 2024 equine census also forms part of the eligibility criteria for Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS III).

Hardcopy returns will be accepted, but online returns are being encouraged through the Equine Census facility on the AIM Services tab on the agfood.ie homepage.

Note this is accessed before logging in as normal to your agfood.ie account.

Anyone seeking assistance with submitting census data, either on paper or online, is advised to contact the Department’s AIM (Animal Identification and Movement) Division by e-mail equinecensus2024@agriculture.gov.ie, or by phone at 01-505-8881.

For more information visit gov.ie/equinecensus2024.