A buyer discovered that his horse’s paper passport had been tampered with, specifically the horse’s year of birth altered to make her appear younger. Despite reporting the issue to authorities, he found no effective enforcement or accountability for such tampering, highlighting the weaknesses of the current paper-based equine identification system. This incident has fueled calls for the introduction of digital equine passports, which would improve accuracy, transparency, and enforcement, similar to digital vehicle MOT records.

Industry experts and organizations, including the British Horse Council and World Horse Welfare, agree that the paper system is outdated and vulnerable to fraud. They advocate for a digital system that would simplify compliance, reduce tampering, and enable better monitoring. While Defra confirms that equine passports remain a legal requirement enforced by local authorities, progress on implementing digital identification has stalled since the change in government, leaving the future of digital equine ID uncertain.