Since 1 January 2008 it has been a legal requirement in France for all equines  to be microchipped, whether born in France or not, as a complement their registration and identification on the SIRE (Système d’Informations Relatif aux Equidés) at the Haras Nationaux.  The microchip does not replace the ‘silhouette’ diagram on the passport where identifying markings are described and stored in a central file at the Haras Nationaux.

The microchip is the size of a grain of rice can be quickly and painlessly inserted by either your veterinary surgeon or a representative of the Haras Nationaux who is authorised to perform the procedure.

The chipping of equines in France strengthens protection against fraud and theft as it is impossible to subsequently ‘re-identify’ the equine.  It also makes Identification of a lost or stolen horse possible as the horse’s identification number on the microchip is stored against the owner’s details on the SIRE database.

Microchips also serve a further purpose in making the monitoring equine health possible and traceability is ensured should there be an outbreak of a notifiable disease in your area.

Fines of 450 € can be imposed to owners of equines found not to have a microchip.

Each country has its own unique batch of microchip numbers, so it is easy to recognise in which country the animal was microchipped when it is scanned.