Hexit: how might horses be affected by Brexit?

As Brendan McArdle, a horse breeder and staff member at the Irish Field publication told Grand Prix Magazine regarding the impact of Brexit on his country in September, 2018, “People are concerned about not knowing what will happen.” Indeed, the sport horse industry in Ireland is said to contribute €816 million to the Irish economy every year, and employ more than 14,000 people. And as Alan Fahey of University College Dublin notes, “These jobs are extremely important as they are mainly located in rural Ireland. There, there will be less alternatives if the equine industry suffers as a result of a slowdown due to Brexit.”

With the MPs’ rejection of the deal between the UK and Europe by a vote of 432 to 202, the prospect of not only a slowdown but a no-deal Brexit is now a real possibility. And while the British government has confirmed that, “The import of equines from the EU into the UK will not change immediately after exit as we are replicating current systems,” Ireland and the UK currently have a special agreement with France which streamlines equine movement between the three countries. But that accord would “no longer be valid if the UK leaves the EU with no agreement, as…. only named EU member states are eligible to use it.”

More broadly, what would be the situation for horses travelling from the UK to the rest of the continent? Free movement for people across borders within the European Union – including between the United Kingdom and Ireland – has been a cornerstone of the Union since 1992. And horses travelling within the 26-state Schengen Area are also subject to community-wide rules which “govern the movement and import of equines and establish guidelines for equine identification.”

As the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs explains, those rules “require…. that equines travel with two documents: an ID document (passport) which also includes details of their health status; and either an Intra-Community Trade Animal Health Certificate or a veterinary attestation. These documents confirm fitness to travel and absence of disease.” Also, it is currently not necessary for equines moving between member states to do so via a Border Inspection Post.

After March, 2019, if there is no deal, the United Kingdom would be treated as a ‘third country’ and any movement of equines to EU member states would be subject to EU third country rules. In short, that would necessitate not only an equine passport or other government ID for non-registered horses, but also export certification to bring animals on a permanent or temporary basis into the EU. 

That EU certification, British officials explain, would necessitate “additional action from vets to confirm the absence of equine disease. This new process would require more planning from the equine owner and could involve increased cost if additional blood tests are required, estimated to be between £200 and £500 depending on the third country category the UK is placed in after leaving the EU.” In addition, unlike the present situation, equines entering the EU from the UK would have to pass through a Border Inspection Post in an EU member state.