Mr. Shane O'Dwyer:

First, I will respond to the Acting Chairman's question on the awareness. The Department has set up a stakeholders' consultative group and the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association has appeared before it to outline our concerns, as we have given today. We would like it included in any report that the Department commission.

There is awareness in Europe of the industry's perspective, in particular among the 15 countries, including the United Kingdom that were around the table at the weekend. It is high on the list of priorities. When the Government produces papers on the impact of Brexit, we would like the economic value of the equine sector to be included, as Senator Daly has said.

It was mentioned whether this sector was high on the UK priority list. We also share that concern. We raised it with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine at one of the stakeholders' meetings. When we were speaking to our counterparts in the United Kingdom, we made the point that whereas agriculture is high on the list of Ireland's concerns, in the UK it is not, but in agriculture, that the bloodstock and equine element might be even lower down on that list. We were assured. Ms Headon made the point that while we might breed more horses, there are more racers in the United Kingdom. This year, 50% of the horses that ran in Cheltenham were bred in Ireland, some 25% of them were bred in the United Kingdom and 25% were bred in France and Germany. The racing model in the United Kingdom, particularly the National Hunt is built around race meetings on a Saturday. They are not producing enough horses, so they are reliant on Irish bred horses to run in England. They are acutely aware of that. The chairman of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association, TBA, and the chairman of the British Horseracing Authority, BHA, are keen to get that message out. In fairness to them, everything has been delayed a little bit. The calling of the election has put things back a little bit. The chairman of the British Horseracing Authority accepts that we in Horse Racing Ireland are joined at the hip.

Members heard me mention that 50% of vendors at the major sales in the United Kingdom are Irish. The TBA and the BHA will bring the message to Mrs. Theresa May for no change to the present arrangement. That message will be high up on their list of priorities.

Downpatrick was mentioned. We must be concerned about the number of mares that are moving. The ideal scenario is no change.

I was listening to the discussion with the road hauliers on "Morning Ireland" yesterday. Some 1,000 plus lorries per day will travel between the Republic and Northern Ireland, of which some 8% will be diverted into trade facilitation centres located some ten to 15 miles from the Border. We want to avoid that. We want to be able to get animals from North to South with the minimum of fuss. That is our ideal scenario.

On the economic figures, Horse Racing Ireland is setting up a sub-committee. There will be a round table discussion next week, where with one voice the focus will be on investigating solutions and whether figures will be got. Our aim is to keep the status quo; that is important.