Ms Suzanne Eade:

I am very grateful for the opportunity to meet with the joint committee this evening to introduce myself and to discuss HRI’s key strategic priorities for horse racing and breeding in Ireland. Joining me are Jason Morris and John Osborne. I joined HRI as chief financial officer in September 2015 and was appointed to the role of CEO in November 2021. I am the HRI representative on a number of industry bodies. Before joining HRI I held a number of senior leadership positions in multinationals in Ireland, the UK and Switzerland.

As members will be aware, HRI is a commercial semi-State body responsible to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and was established under the Horse and Greyhound Racing Act 2001. HRI is responsible for the overall administration, governance, development and promotion of the Irish horse racing industry and operates a corporate structure that comprises the main body and eight subsidiary companies. Its functions are set out in legislation.

HRI has a clear vision, as set out within its strategic plan for the period 2020 to 2024, to make Ireland the global leader in horse racing and breeding. The HRI board and the wider organisation’s resources are focused on priorities which will deliver that vision. These include: growing what is already the second-most attended sport in Ireland; attracting footfall and viewers from all over the world; building on the international reputation of our dedicated workforce; investing in infrastructure such as Tipperary Racecourse, through the provision of a second all-weather track there, and the Irish Equine Centre; equine welfare, integrity and traceability; and expanding a sustainable, rural industry.

The horse racing and breeding industries are incredible assets to this country. I am proud they are significant industries across all Ireland, producing in excess of €2 billion in total expenditure annually and supporting approximately 29,000 direct and indirect jobs. These are enormous figures that contribute to the rural economy and my focus will be on growing the business at every level. It is fully our intention to increase the impact of the industry on the economy which is currently estimated at €30 for every €1 allocated to horse racing through the horse and greyhound racing fund.

I represent an industry that delivers on Government investment and a sport that continues to be one of the most popular activities, in both a sporting and social sense, in this country. In 2019, the last full year unaffected by the Covid pandemic, racecourse attendances exceeded 1.3 million, making horse racing the second highest attended sport in Ireland. This figure included an estimated 80,000 tourist visitors.

It is a strategic priority of HRI to broaden the interest and appeal of our sport to the widest possible audience, both domestically and internationally, by investing in marketing, promotion and event creation around racing throughout the year. Our recent research shows that 44% of the Irish population has an interest in the sport, up from 39% last year, and this figure continues on an upward trajectory. During Covid lockdowns, we continued to invest in marketing and content creation relating to racing to maintain engagement with fans and supplement the live broadcasts on television during that time.

Ireland is a global leader in horse racing and breeding. Irish-bred horses and horses trained in Ireland are the envy of the world. We have an outstanding tradition of horse care and this recognised tradition is responsible for so much of the inward investment in Irish breeding and horse racing. Big race wins do not go unnoticed by our overseas competitors. People choose to invest in Ireland because we are world class, which is something we often take for granted. Every industry and sport has its big names and dominant figures and horse racing in Ireland is no different, but the mainstay of our industry are the smaller operators. In the breeding industry, 92% of the almost 7,000 breeders across the island own five brood mares or fewer. Through Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, we are supporting breeders with the IRE incentive scheme, a series of more than 200 races in Ireland and Britain in 2022, with a €10,000 voucher for the winning owner, if the winner is Irish-bred, to be redeemed against the purchase of an Irish-bred horse at an Irish bloodstock sale.

By consolidating and building the industry, I am sure that we can continue to face up to Brexit. The ongoing uncertainty surrounding the UK’s relationship with the EU and the rest of the world is challenging. Broadening our marketplace beyond the UK, which accounts for up to 80% of our exports, is a key strategy for Horse Racing Ireland to counteract potential Brexit impacts. Brexit has caused considerable logistical and financial issues, with significant additional costs, extra paperwork and planning relating to horses' movements that were seamless under the previous tripartite agreement.

Providing extra opportunities to race will be key to further strengthening our industry by increasing participation across all levels. Prize money stimulates investment. Along with competitive racing and a programme geared towards quality at every level, prize money has a positive impact on smaller operators in Ireland. Ireland is a shop window, giving owners and breeders the opportunity to trade. The larger yards and owners are important customers for smaller operations to sell to when they have a horse with form. A constant influx of human talent is essential to that competition, as is equine ability.

On the racecourse itself, there are a number of emerging talents working their way through the training ranks and enjoying a share of the success on the biggest of stages. In a hugely competitive sphere, we can be heartened that 52 trainers from 19 different counties have trained their first winner since the beginning of 2020. There was a terrific spread of winning trainers at the recent Irish Guineas festival at the Curragh, which is a tangible indication of increased competition.

The Chair and members will be aware of the plans in place for the strategic redevelopment of Tipperary Racecourse, which will provide Ireland with its second all-weather track. Our investment in Tipperary Racecourse makes it key infrastructure and the track’s associated training facilities and community amenities will not only be of benefit to its immediate neighbours, but to the county as a whole, building on the more than 2,500 jobs which are supported directly and indirectly by racing in County Tipperary. Those jobs fuel almost €400 million in annual expenditure in the county alone. The training of horses is labour intensive and the number of horses in training is a key indicator of industry employment. It is hugely encouraging that all categories of ownership have grown, with more than 1,000 new owners attracted into ownership last year. A record owner retention rate of 80% in 2021 was a terrific vote of confidence in the industry. However, these figures will be challenging to maintain in the current economic environment.

We are concerned about the significant difficulties felt by the point-to-point and pony racing communities, which are two key grassroots sectors, in acquiring insurance cover. This is a situation that puts the long-term viability of both in doubt. Given the geographical spread of racecourses, it was only right that a number of them were at the disposal of the HSE for Covid-19 testing and vaccination. Cork Racecourse was among the first testing facilities in the country and along with Leopardstown, Fairyhouse, Punchestown, Limerick, Navan and Galway racecourses, it went on to play a significant role. The facility at Leopardstown has benefited greatly from a recent development and the payback will be seen in the years to come as racegoers enjoy the very best of international competition at meetings like the Leopardstown Christmas Festival, the Dublin Racing Festival in February and the opening day of Irish Champions Weekend in early September. Its strategic importance, as Dublin’s only remaining racecourse, should not be underestimated.

HRI will continue to invest in the development of facilities at all 26 racecourses, which are spread across 17 counties of the island and are very much at the heart of their urban and rural communities. HRI is currently supporting two racecourse capital development schemes covering 2022 and 2023. The first is to expand stable yards to maximise their capacities and a second is focused on developing industry facilities.

Equine welfare is an absolute priority for everyone. The industry was heartened by the positive endorsement in the report by the joint committee in November 2021 arising from concerns aired last year and we will continue to work with the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, IHRB, and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to ensure progress is maintained on both the implementation of the committee's recommendations and those put forward by Dr. Suann’s review.

Disease prevention is a vital part of our equine welfare strategy and the recent announcement of an equine herpes outbreak in a British training yard underlines the constant need for vigilance in this area. The Irish Equine Centre has a vital role in ensuring the health of all the bloodstock involved in our €2 billion industry and Horse Racing Ireland is fully supportive of its efforts to secure funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for the complete redevelopment of its current facilities.

Embracing the government’s national climate action plan, we are working on a sustainability strategy to guide and assist the wider breeding and racing industry, which will be finalised this summer. CSO statistics show that equine activity account for over 12% of the land base in Ireland. Equine farming is low intensity, producing lower emissions with paddocks remaining in pasture all year round, and it is already recognised as a green and sustainable way of farming.

The welfare of those employed throughout the country in the racing and breeding industries is addressed through Horse Racing Ireland's education and training department, Equuip. While seeking to attract new people to the industry by showcasing available opportunities, Equuip is focused on developing our people by enhancing their skills in order to build sustainable careers. Through support from HRI, the many employers associated with both horse racing and breeding will be encouraged to grow their businesses by educating, training and providing career pathways for a long and successful career in the industry.

I thank the members of the joint committee for their interest in the horse racing and breeding industries and the work they do in our interests. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to introduce myself this evening and to outline where I believe the industry stands and our plans. I will be happy to take any questions members may have.