Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the representatives who have come before the committee and made very interesting presentations. First and foremost it is important to acknowledge that. We have had quite an array of presentations both today and on Tuesday last. Many of the issues raised come under the remit of Horse Racing Ireland, HRI, and the dialogue and giving people the opportunity to put their viewpoint across will play a key role.

In terms of funding the horse and greyhound industry, I acknowledge the Government made a significant increase in funding in the last budget with a view to increasing it on a multi-annual basis over the next few years. That is important. With the extension of the taxation to online remote bookmakers, which we discussed here last week, that brings in more than €10 million per annum. That has brought extra funding into the equation, and that was done in the face of Opposition parties calling for cuts at the same time.

I will make my comments in the order in which the presentations are made and I will begin by putting some questions to Mr. Iceton. I am concerned about the statistics in terms of the pressure that is being borne by small breeders and the fall in numbers in terms of both the National Hunt and the other side. This is an area that has supplemented farm income for many years. I do not know if the statistics have changed, but 90% of breeders had four or fewer mares and they generally had farms as well. Friends of my age who are engaged in farming and whose families keep horses say that as soon as they take over the farm the horse will be gone because they see that business as hardship and there may not be a return from it. Does it come down to the return, or is there more to it than money? Mr. Iceton made a comparison with the French-bred animals that were in the Fairyhouse sales, but the French have a different funding mechanism in terms of betting tax and parimutuel betting, and we will never be able to compete with that with the existing structures we have inherited. How do we compare with countries such as Britain on that one? What more can we do to help the smaller breeders? Is it purely a question of finance in regard to the return they get, and how do we address that? We have to acknowledge the intrinsic role that small breeders play in the breeding industry. Is this something on which a case could be put to Horse Racing Ireland to seek funding from the Horse and Greyhound Racing Fund to go towards further initiatives or towards expanding on the initiatives Mr. Iceton mentioned?

Mr. Iceton touched on the foal levy. I am aware of some opposition from smaller breeders to the foal levy structure at present. I would be interested to hear Mr. Iceton's views on the suggestion of replacing the foal levy with a mandatory sales levy.

Ireland's disease-free status is hugely important for us and we may take it for granted. Mr. Iceton might comment on the importance of that to the equine industry. What would the implications be for the industry if something negative were to happen in that regard?

Mr. McGrath also gave a detailed presentation. I strongly concur with that he said. We need to focus on the fact that prevention is always being better than cure. The figures he gave point to a significant issue and trend, and that must be dealt with. The presentations that followed Mr. McGrath's also touched on that. We cannot spend our time asking what we will do with the thousands of horses. We need to examine the root causes of the problem and put significant resources into making sure that these horses do not manifest in the first place. That is crucially important. Otherwise, the problem will continue and we will always be two steps behind chasing it up. My view on this is that horses should not be in urban areas. They are not designed to be there, and I say that as someone who lives in such an area. Comments were made about tradition, but the tradition when it comes to horses is that they were in green fields with lots of space. That needs to be our starting point. Can Mr. McGrath indicate whether there are spot checks in urban areas where there is a significant intensity of horse-keeping? There are certain pockets of urban areas in my constituency in Kildare where there are many horses, and they cause problems for people who live in estates. I note Mr. McGrath said in his presentation that when many of these horses are seized they are not microchipped. Is this being actively pursued to ensure that they are microchipped before they are seized? Are there checks to ensure that horses are microchipped and, if they are not, are there repercussions? Mr McGrath pointed out that the current arrangements are more reactive. That suggests we that are not proactively carrying out on-the-spot checks, which is an issue.

The representative of Irish Horse Welfare Trust mentioned that the programme will require more buy-in. The representative from the ISPCA said there was lack of enforcement. We can see a crossover there and we can see the picture. That leads me on to the point that was mentioned about legislative interventions. The witnesses referred in their presentation to the legislative underpinning, and a list of Acts is provided. Are they suggesting that changes need to be made to those Acts, or are the changes being made to the Animal Health and Welfare Act not sufficient?

I accept the point that local authorities are under funding pressure as they try to deal with the end problem. Do the delegates believe the legislation listed needs to be amended and changed to facilitate the early intervention needed to minimise the end problem? Do they have the legislation they need at their disposal? If so, is it reasonable to suggest it is purely a matter of financing and putting a better structural arrangement in place? Is there a service level agreement between the Department and the local authorities? It would be a concern if no such agreement were in place. The Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 allowed for the appointment of authorised officers. The delegates might outline how many local authorities have made such appointments, to their knowledge.

I would like to comment on the presentation made by the representatives of the Irish Horse Welfare Trust. I am happy to support the trust's efforts to renovate its farmhouse because it is a worthwhile project.

Reference has been made to the tradition of some urban dwellers to keep horses. We have heard about how well they care for them. My simple view on it is that horses should not be kept in urban areas, but I do not know whether everyone would agree with this. If our starting point is trying to facilitate people in keeping horses in urban areas, we will always have a problem and will always be dealing with issues. I suggest a much better way to approach this matter would be to provide appropriate places to which people from urban areas could travel to visit their horses.

I concur with the point made by the representatives of the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals that traceability equals responsibility. Obviously, we can do more in terms of microchipping. Every horse is supposed to be microchipped, but many horses seized are not. Is it the case that not enough fines are being imposed when horses are not microchipped? Is there a problem in the execution of fines? How do we address this issue? If the system in place is not being used properly, surely we need to address the issue.

I thank everyone for the very informative presentations.