Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 7 July 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Horse Industry in Ireland: Discussion

2:00 pm

Mr. James Kennedy:

Yes, it was. We were absolutely amazed. We got €700,000 worth of inquiries or ideas. We could have funded each one of them and have had a return on it. Unfortunately, we were able to give out only €70,000 of the funding. Some of those events, shows and competitions, were super events throughout the country at different levels. It gave us an enthusiasm. This is not a begging bowl. It is an investment in the future and we believe we can get a return on what we are doing. A very good question from Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív is how much money we want and what would be the return. We have a lot of work to do before we can give a proper answer to that question. We have the strategy. I think we have had four months of a short trial but we see we can do things with new ideas. Our plan would be to work on that strategy for the rest of the year and come forward with a phased investment and, equally, a return. The one thing I can say from all my years in business is that it is a very exciting organisation in which to be involved and it has a huge future if we manage it correctly.