Mandatory registration of places where horses are kept
Since February 9, 2022, horse facilities must be registered via https://www.horseid.be/public/nl/ www.horseid.be. The obligation applies to all places where horses or related species are kept, whether professionally or privately: stables, stalls, pastures, etc.
Those responsible for horse facilities have until July 31, 2022 to comply. If the place where a horse is kept is not registered after that transition period, the keeper of the horse will no longer be able to identify the animal and therefore cannot give it away, sell it, or have it slaughtered. Moreover, they will then be in violation of the legislation and may face possible penalties.
The mandatory registration has been introduced to allow for the tracking of all horses that have come into contact with a horse suffering from a regulated disease within a facility.
Mandatory registration of horses present in a facility
Those responsible for places where horses are kept must now also keep a register recording which horses are present in the facility. This mandatory registration applies to both their own horses and those belonging to third parties. Templates for such a register can be found on the https://cbc-bcp.be/ation of the Horse.
The registration is made mandatory so that it is always known which horses are or have been present in a facility, so that in case of disease, the locations where the horses are or have been can be traced.
New model for horse identification
In addition to the new obligations, new passport models have also been introduced for horse identification. Older models (issued before 2022) remain valid.
Impact of the new rules on your insurance
The new mandatory registrations mean extra administrative work for horse owners and those responsible for facilities. But there are also important considerations regarding insurance. We advise you to thoroughly check whether your Fire and/or Liability (Civil Liability) policies specify particular numbers or maximums of horses kept and whether these match the actual situation in your facility. Problems may arise if, during a register check, a loss adjuster finds that more horses were present than your policy covers. In that case, insurers may refuse to cover you or only partially compensate for your loss.
Want to be sure your insurance is in order? Ask us for advice
If you want to be certain that your insurance perfectly matches your specific situation, feel free to request a check-up of your policies. The mentioned coverage restrictions may be stated in both the general policy conditions and the special terms. Our specialists will gladly check this for you.
