Mr. John Joe Fitzpatrick:

We are a totally voluntary organisation. We were founded in Ballinasloe just after the implementation of Commission Regulation No. 504/2008 in 2009. We found an awful lot of people had serious problems in recognising there was regulation in respect of horses, that the area was going to be controlled and that sanctions were going to be introduced. We got those people together and had meetings. We started off with a voluntary committee, which we still have. More than 700 members contributed small donations in the first year. We had an awful lot of meetings throughout the country, giving out information and trying to help people. We set up a service with one or two local veterinarians and we did horse registration to bring them into compliance for a nominal fee of €30 at that time. Horses were microchipped in tens. We went out and gathered them up with farmers and we got them all registered. Since then, our committee has wound down. Approximately eight or ten of us work on a voluntary basis. We have not had funding from anybody.

The Senator asked about working with local authorities. I am a bit different to the other two members of Horse Care Ireland here with me because I run a horse abattoir for animal slaughter. We did a cull, destruction killing for the local authorities for Kildare and Laois for a while in 2011 and 2012 when there were many unwanted, low-value horses. In recent years, the animal welfare people have been taking those horses and rehoming them. It is not the most economic way for the taxpayer to do that but that is what is happening to most horses. I had a horse that was removed from lands and went through three welfare establishments before he was found in Cork. There was obviously money drawn off him for collection three or four different times.