THE UK’s horse passport regulations are in urgent need of simplification and strengthening after sector-wide survey results revealed a dramatic lack of confidence and worrying shortcomings in most parts of the system meant to safeguard the human food chain.

Secretary of State Owen Paterson said he would review the horse passport system in the wake of the horsemeat scandal earlier this year.

This prompted the Equine Sector Council for Health and Welfare to conduct surveys among all those involved with the passport system, asking five core questions across all surveys and additional detailed questions tailored for each group.

Almost 3,000 horse owners, 100 local authority enforcement agents, 600 vets, 54 Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) and two abattoirs shared their understanding of and experiences with the regulations.

Roly Owers, ofleading equine charityWorld HorseWelfare, said: “The results of these surveys are incontrovertible evidence that most parts of the system have failed to some degree.

“More importantly, the findings clearly show that to go forward, we need a simple system for identifying equines that is easy to understand, comply with and enforce, and inspires public confidence.

“This will only be possible through universal micro-chipping and a single central database.

Any improved system will also need significant education and communication about our responsibilities to our horses and the safety of the food chain – and how we must fulfil them.”

For the foreseeable future, horse carcasses are currently being held until test results confirm they do not contain bute in order to safeguard the food chain.

Further to this, in April the European Commission published its five-point-plan to address to the horsemeat incident, which includes the intent to require member states to maintain their own central database and move to a single PIO. This will require the UK to review its current system of 75 PIOs.

The survey results showed a catalogue of misunderstanding, patchy compliance, lack of enforcement and a struggling system without controls or consequences. A staggering 80 per cent said they did not believe the system fulfilled its purposes.

Reasons for this lack of confidence included misunderstanding of the rules; lack of compliance and enforcement; no central data base and complex or impractical rules.

Jeanette Allen, chairman of the equine sector council steering group, said: “We have long recognised that the passport system was far from perfect.

“As a result of this extensive survey, we are now in a much better position to demonstrate the scale of misunderstanding of the rules.

“ We clearly need to move forward now to create a simpler system and ensure that communication is improved.”