NED Signed and Sealed!
28 January 2008
Today was a momentous day for the future of British equestrianism as Defra and the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) signed a contract passing the management and development of the National Equine Database (NED) into the hands of the BEF.
The new company, NED Ltd, has been formed, with the British Equestrian Federation supporting and guiding the development of this important resource which will contain details of every horse and pony registered in the UK.
Contractual and funding details which will secure the future of NED, have taken some time to negotiate but, thanks to the dedication of BEF, NED and Defra teams, and the support of the Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) and other Data Providers, the contract is now finalised.
BEFs Chief Executive Andrew Finding says that this is an outstanding opportunity for our industry. This complex project started early in 2002 but as it has developed, we have been able to work in effective partnerships with the providers of data, the PIOs, Weatherbys, the competition sports of the Federation and with Defra. The development process has brought people together with a common purpose.
The public face of NED, NED Online, is now in its final stages of development. The internal NED system containing horse identification details from passports issued, has been up and running for over a year for the use of PIOs. NED Online, being quick and easy to use and populated with verified data, has many enhanced features, and when it is officially launched in 2008, members of the public will be able to find details for all horses on NED and view their pedigree and performance details as well as those of their relations. This combination of information is a first for any web based database anywhere in the world.
This long awaited system was presented to a group of PIOs late last year and they were unanimously agreed that this was a world-beating system of real value to just about everyone who has a horse.
Andrew Finding added that he would like to thank the NED development team and every organisation and individual for their contribution to this exciting project, especially Defra for funding NED and working with us to complete the negotiations so that the industry can benefit from what NED Online can offer
Watch the press and the NED website for updates and details of when NED Online will be launched for you to use.
Click here for more info. www.nedonline.co.uk
