Potential Benefits of a National Equine ID Program
The purpose of a national identification system is to identify premises and livestock in order to facilitate disease management in the case of an outbreak. The overall goal and main benefit of a national, standardized equine identification program in the United States is disease management. Potential benefits of a system if developed by the horse industry include:
Specific benefits of Equine Identification:
Reduce potential effect and enhance control of equine disease outbreaks. A national identification system for equines in the United States would enable officials to identify particular animals that have been exposed to a contagious disease and isolate them in order to prevent the disease from becoming more widespread.
Maintain equine commerce and movement of horses in the case of a disease outbreak. Disease outbreaks can stop all movement and commerce regarding livestock, including horses. This has been clearly demonstrated with the foot and mouth disease outbreak in the U.K., the recent discovery of BSE in the United States and the outbreaks of Vesicular Stomatitis. In recent months, some states have closed their borders to horses from a specific state, due to the lack of confidence in that states ability to track and contain a specific disease. Some equine events have prohibited or controlled movements of horses from other states affected by disease. With a national system, state animal health officials will have greater ability to identify specific locations and animals where a disease may be prevalent, thus eliminating embargoes of an entire states population of horses or others animals.
Assist equestrian events in ensuring a healthy environment for participating horses. Most major events involving horses in the United States require some sort of health certification, including a negative Coggins Test. A national ID system could enhance these requirements by having better systems to ensure the health of the animals involved. Kentucky has recently been awarded the privilege of hosting the 2010 World Equestrian Games. Individual animal identification will be a requirement for all equines participating and a necessity in tracking and maintaining a disease prevention program during the games and beyond.
Expedite recovery and identification of horses lost due to natural disaster, theft, or accident. A permanent ID system for horses could be used in emergency situations to link the horse to a premise, owner, or caretaker. Hurricane Katrina was an example of how effective individual animal identification can be, with virtually all displaced horses being returned to their rightful owner. This was not the case with many other species. In addition, the ID system could be utilized in the case of a theft to facilitate return of the animal to the owner.
Facilitate import and export of equine. Many horses are imported and exported into and out of the United States each year. A positive national identification system could expedite these processes and allow for more effective means of identifying the animals moving internationally.
Uphold the horse industry as a responsible member of the livestock community. The importance of the horse industry in cooperating with the entire livestock industry in the case of a disease outbreak cannot be overstated. The implementation of an ID system for the equine industry would allow the industry to work in concert with other members of the livestock industry to quickly trace back diseased or exposed animals.
Benefits of Bio-Thermal microchips:
Bio-Thermal microchips can be beneficial to horse owners.
These chips combine both the ease of recording temperatures with the individual identification of a horse, which is necessary to maintain a viable disease management system. Temperatures are the first sign of any infection and the first step in stopping the transmission of a disease. In a quarantine situation the bio-thermal microchip is a quick and efficient way to take temperatures with minimum risk of spreading the contamination.