Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I was going to make a similar point on the small amount of the sector that are not microchipped. When we talk about horses are we covering horses, ponies, donkeys and everything in the equine sector? I imagine that the high end is looked after, which is probably 50% or more, and it is that other sector that is not being taken care of. In some cases, as has been mentioned earlier, we come across semi-retired farmers who have a small bit of land and in order to keep their areas of natural constraint, ANC, payment, they have a couple of assess on the land. I know them and I met a man last week in his 80s who does that. There is nothing wrong with that and it is not trying to pull the wool over people's eyes in any way. It is tiny and it is very much a by-issue. The point is that in some of those cases, microchipping and all of that may not be dealt with as appropriately as it should be.

We also have a range of people such as the sulky racers and all of that sector. I imagine that a similar range of people are involved. The focus needs to go towards that end and that comes back to the point Deputy Penrose made on the Irish Harness Racing Association. While I acknowledge some assistance was given to the association, its members are telling us that they are meeting a stone wall with their big asks. All of us have met its members and they tell us they are finding it difficult to overcome that. Were adequate resources given to that sector, it would resolve a fair part of the problem, because it would create a regulated industry where those types of horses and ponies would have a way forward. The sector would know what it was doing, it would be regulated and matters would be better looked after.

That is one of the key matters we should be looking to resolve. We should see if the Irish Harness Racing Association can get on a proper footing in Ireland. It is a huge industry in France and in other countries and yet, we are dragging behind here. It is not appropriate that we say we have this problem and yet we have part of the solution and we are ignoring it. That solution needs to be dealt with more appropriately and that seems to be coming up all of the time. They tell us that, they have come in and met committee members and they have lobbied us many times on this issue. They have been at this for a couple of years and they do not seem to be getting any traction. I appeal to the Department in particular to sit down with them and come up with a solution to their problems because solving their problems would solve a big part of this other problem as well.