Mr. Martin Blake:

I will respond to Deputy Cahill in the context of our approach of trying to encourage and improve identification. Part and parcel of our original office grouping involves checking for identification on an ongoing basis. We have looked at the incremental increase over the years as a response to that engagement. We have registered 25,000 premises where horses are kept. Two years ago we did not have that number. Essentially, we know there are 25,000 premises where horses are kept. There are only a handful of horses on most premises. We also have large herds of horses. That has become a feature of recent years. We have checked some of these large horse holdings and some of the large horse dealers to ensure they are compliant. We have set up checks at some of the fairs with the help of the Garda in some cases. In some cases, the Garda has advised us not to undertake checks. We have undertaken checks at some of the fairs where some of the horses about which we have concerns might be traded. We have had multi-agency engagement at Banagher fair. The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, the Garda and ourselves have checked on participants for animal identification and other issues. There is an element of engagement across agencies. Perhaps we need to do more of that in the context of the holistic issue that is presenting to us.