Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The greyhound industry has a strategic plan, HRI has a plan and we now have the Indecon report, which is the backdrop to the horse sport sector, so we have no shortage of strategic planning. As I said earlier, without this level of funding, the top end of the market will continue to survive. This funding is critical to the lower end of the market in particular. As I said, there are strategic plans. If the question is founded on an assumption that we could get to a position where this industry will stand without State support, I do not see that happening.

The top end of it might but the entire edifice of the Irish equine industry is built on a foundation of small owners, breeders and operators and if we lose sight of that we could very quickly have a situation where the base dies out and the mobility of the industry becomes apparent in terms of relocation elsewhere. That is something we need to guard against.