List of Recommendations

Recommendation 1

5.14

The committee recommends the Department of Agriculture establishes a national horse traceability working group, under the auspices of the Agriculture Senior Officials Committee, to progress the development and implementation of a national horse traceability register. The group should report its findings to the Agriculture Senior Officials Committee within
12-months of its establishment.

Recommendation 2

5.16

The committee recommends Animal Health Australia becomes a member of the national horse traceability working group, and in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, ensures a horse traceability register aligns with and bolsters the Australian Government's biosecurity responsibilities.

Recommendation 3

5.25

The committee recommends that the national horse traceability working group works towards establishing a national horse traceability register that, at its core, serves a biosecurity function.

Recommendation 4

5.30

The committee recommends that the national horse traceability working group consults with the horse industry to develop a national register that is populated by data found on existing industry databases. This data-sharing arrangement should:

be shared through the use of blockchain (or equivalent) technology that enables regular and secure data transfers between registers;

allow for one horse to be registered across multiple industry registers; and

at a minimum, include the following data—

a microchip number (including a universal equine life number);

a Property Identification Code;

owner's contact details and location; and

the origin of the source data.

Recommendation 5

5.33

The committee recommends a national horse register is designed to accommodate data uploads by horse owners that are not associated with any industry group, such as farmers, the recreational sector and horse owners in remote locations.

Recommendation 6

5.37

The committee recommends that the national horse traceability working group works towards a national horse traceability register design that enables additional features to be incorporated into the system as it progresses, and allows for the horse industry to take responsibility for any future functionality amendments. Such functionality amendments could assist with improving animal welfare, emergency response management, rider safety and the integrity of trade in horses.

Recommendation 7

5.39

The committee recommends that the national horse traceability working group consults with the United Kingdom's Central Equine Database and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to help inform the development of an Australian equivalent register.

Recommendation 8

5.45

The committee recommends that the national horse traceability working group, in partnership with the racing industry, works towards the development of a national horse traceability register that compliments efforts by the racing industry to track retired horses.

Recommendation 9

5.47

The committee recommends that the national horse traceability working group engages with owners of abattoirs and knackeries to integrate a national horse traceability register into processing practices for horses.

Recommendation 10

5.51

The committee recommends that the Department of Agriculture ensures the national horse traceability working group considers designing a national horse traceability register that meets the European Union's horsemeat trade standards.

Recommendation 11

5.58

The committee recommends representatives from the horse industry, including the Australian Horse Industry Council, the racing industry and animal welfare representatives, such as from the RSPCA, become members of the national horse traceability working group.

Recommendation 12

5.66

The committee recommends the national horse traceability working group consider the adoption of a co-investment model that obliges Commonwealth, state and territory governments, as well as the horse industry, to provide the necessary seed funding required for a national horse traceability register.

Recommendation 13

5.74

The committee recommends that, if microchipping is a requirement under a national traceability register, the national horse traceability working group considers a phased approach to the microchipping requirement.

Recommendation 14

5.76

The committee recommends the national horse traceability working group consider the viability of integrating a biometric identification function into a national horse traceability register.

Recommendation 15

5.88

The committee recommends the national horse traceability working group considers the key challenges identified by the Integrity Systems Company concerning compliance and enforcement, which include:

defining the role of industry versus the role of government concerning compliance and enforcement;

the reduction of resources to support compliance and enforcement over time; and

the penalties applied to breaches of traceability, which fail to discourage non-compliance.

Recommendation 16

5.91

The committee recommends the national horse traceability working group considers the educational requirements needed to re-inforce industry compliance with a national horse traceability register.

Recommendation 17

5.93

The committee recommends the national horse traceability working group engages the Integrity Systems Company's expertise to progress a national horse traceability register.

Recommendation 18

5.96

The committee recommends that the national horse traceability working group works towards the adoption of a trial program following the establishment of a national horse traceability register. The trial may be applied to a single or collection of jurisdictions, or alternatively, be applied to specific sectors of the horse industry.

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