Vets' responsibilities under horse passport regulations clarified
A NEW guidance note for vets on horse passports and prescribing equine medicines has been issued after previous advice was deemed 'difficult to follow'.
The note, entitled "Horse medicines and passport requirements: important points for vets", was issued by the VMD on its website on November 1. It sets out brief details of what vets should do regarding the recording of medicines on passports, the use of medications suitable for food-producing animals in the absence of a passport, and how phenylbutazone must be avoided under these circumstances.
At the end of the note, the text refers to how veterinary surgeons may be fined up to £5,000 if they fail to meet these requirements and are guilty of an offence under the Horse Passport Regulations. The information contained in the note is not new, but a lack of understanding within the profession prompted the VMD, Defra's horse passport team and BEVA to collaborate on a rewrite and try to clarify vets' responsibilities in this area.
A tweet drawing vets' attention to the document was sent on November 11 by the VDS, saying: "Attention Equine Vets: latest VMD Info Sheet re Horse Meds, http://bit.ly/1aA00YY Read carefully; you could face fine of up to £5,000."
Commenting on the launch of the guidance, a VMD spokesman told MRCVSonline:
"This one-page information sheet was created following feedback that vets found the information in our existing leaflet difficult to follow with a need for important information relating to prescribing veterinary medicines for horses to be put in to a simple reference summary."
In reference to vets' responsibilities, the VMD statement says: "You must check the passport before you administer, prescribe or dispense andy medicine. If the passport is not available or you are not satisfied that the passport relates to the horse in question, you must treat the horse as if it's intended for human consumption.
"If a horse needs emergency treatment and the passport is not available, of you believe that the passport does not related to the horse you are treating, you MUST treat the horse with medication suitable for food-producing animals. You MUST then issue a document which details the medicines given and an instruction to the owner or keeper to keep this with the passport. An example of this document can be obtained from the BEVA website, www.beva.org.uk
The statement concludes with: "Veterinary surgeons who fail to meet these requirements are guilty of an offence under the Horse Passport Regulations and may be fined up to £5,000."
To read the leaflet in full, click here
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
