Changes after ‘Horses – Making a Killing’ documentary need cross-border support to protect equine welfare

Significant progress has been made on recommendations to improve horse traceability and welfare in Ireland – but without all-island integration, the system “will always have holes”.

The Irish government department of agriculture, food and the marine (DAFM) has published a report on its action plan to deliver the recommendations from the Wall report (news, 27 March). Patrick Wall, a professor of public health, vet, medical doctor and food safety expert, was commissioned by DAFM to review its equine traceability system after an RTÉ documentary titled Horses – Making a Killing, showed the failures of the current system.

Professor Wall found weaknesses throughout the system, including in recording ownership changes and horses’ deaths, and said “comprehensive reforms are necessary”.

This spring, DAFM published a plan to address the issues, and it has now released an update on the 37 proposed actions. These come under five headings; ensure owner accountability through better traceability, stricter enforcement of equine identification and registration legislation, highest level of protection for horses at end of life, maximising the benefits of scientific and technology innovation and strong communication and influence.

“The status report shows that all 37 actions have been advanced with particular progress made towards a new IT system to support the proposed changes, as well as the initiatives on education and grant aid for modernisation,” a DAFM spokesperson said, adding that DAFM minister Martin Heydon stressed that horse welfare is the key driver of the project.

“Traceability is essential to the protection of horses,” he said. “Gaps in traceability allow for neglect and mistreatment without accountability. I am committed to implementing a new equine traceability system which will ensure our horses’ health and welfare are protected throughout their lives. The progress evidenced in the status report is the result of close cooperation and consultation with equine stakeholders and I would like to thank them for the positivity with which they have engaged with this reform.”

Equine census data

Mr Heydon said the new IT system for traceability is on track to be complete by the end of the year, based on the 2024 equine census data, which will “allow high levels of traceability while providing flexibility” for horse movement.

DAFM said measures to progress end-of-life welfare are progressing, and that “stricter enforcement is being actioned through a new inspection regime for equine holdings which is near conclusion”. The department is committed to establishing a new equine slaughterhouse; there had been an increase in export for slaughter since Ireland’s only abattoir that took horses closed. Other progress includes a pilot project using smart trackers and a new booklet outlining owner responsibilities.

Professor Wall told H&H that although the DAFM update is welcome, “the reality is this”. “Reforms in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) will not be effective in isolation,” he said. “Without parallel systems and cooperation in Northern Ireland (NI), the potential for loopholes and exploitation remains dangerously wide open.

“A core message in the report, and a reality not fully addressed in the minister’s announcement, is that without a fully integrated all-island system, the traceability net will always have holes.”

Prof Wall’s report makes clear that horse movement between the ROI and NI is “largely seamless” and untracked in real time. Horses can then move unrecorded to Britain.

“There is no equine census in NI, no equine premises numbers (EPNs) and very limited interoperability between the UK’s Central Equine Database and the ROI’s national database,” he said. “Horses can move across the border and vanish from traceability systems altogether.”

The report warns that “any solutions adopted in the ROI must be mirrored in NI to be effective”.

Legal export to slaughter

“Horses legally exported for slaughter can be described as moving for leisure, evading scrutiny,” Prof Wall said. “Without real-time data sharing and harmonised systems, this kind of regulatory arbitrage is not only possible, it’s already happening.”

The report found potential for fraud owing to poor cross-border data-sharing; people reportedly alter horses’ identities in false passports.

“For real reform, NI authorities must introduce EPNs, an equine census, and real-time integration with ROI’s central database,” Prof Wall said. “Horses that cross the border must have movements logged, identities verified, and food chain status consistent. The horse does not recognise political borders, and neither does fraud.

“In the spirit of cooperation that followed the 2013 horse meat scandal, and the Brexit arrangements, it is time for a truly joint approach to equine traceability and welfare. Otherwise, the ROI’s reforms risk becoming a one-sided firewall, unable to contain a cross-border problem.”

A spokesperson for northern Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) told H&H DAERA officials are aware of the findings and recommendations in the Wall report, and “continue to work very closely with officials in DAFM on matters arising from the report”.

“New domestic legislation is being prepared which will provide DAERA with enforcement powers to implement the EU animal health law [Regulation (EU) 2016/429], which provides the framework for an equine traceability system,” she said.

“On 21 July 2025, Minister Muir announced the mandatory requirement to register all equine establishments in Northern Ireland and that from 1 February 2026, it will not be possible to apply for, or update, an equine passport without providing a valid equine establishment number (EEN). DAERA officials have been engaging with the equine sector throughout 2025 on the new requirements and continue to work very closely with DAFM officials on equine traceability issues on the island of Ireland.”

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