The New Zealand Equine Health Association’s mission is to protect the health and welfare of New Zealand horses. Disease incursion is recognised as one of the key concerns for the health of the New Zealand equine population, and hence, any opportunities to identify and trace the population will be crucial in isolating and controlling the spread of potential outbreaks.

The Equine Identification & Traceability System (EITS) is a project the NZEHA and its equine industry partners have begun embarking on. The end goal of EITS is to streamline the current identification of New Zealand horses into one master database and capture data for the remaining equine population. In doing so, we are maximising our post-border biosecurity readiness so that we may quickly and efficiently respond to an equine disease outbreak, which ultimately will affect the success and cost of that disease response.

This project will use microchipping, which is a commonly used means of identifying horses globally. Of course, there are additional benefits to microchipping, including the subsequent unique identification of your horse. These include being identifiable in the face of a natural disaster, proof of ownership, the ability to measure their temperature with the use of Bio-Thermo microchips, and improved welfare outcomes for all New Zealand horses.

Click the link below to see the latest update on the project...

/Portals/8/EITS_Project_Update_-_6th_May_2024.pdf