Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 10 November 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Harness Racing Industry Development Needs: Discussion

2:15 pm

Mr. Mark Flanagan:

If one looks at the thoroughbred horse racing in Ireland, which includes the flat and national hunt, it is €50 million. The thoroughbred industry employs 17,000 in Ireland. In France, 60,000 people are employed in trotting. It is a huge sport. The president and general secretary of the UET, European Trotting Union, and the chief executive officer of Le Trot came to Dundalk. There was Group 1 racing on in Vincennes in Paris and they left that to come to Dundalk to support us in the development of the sport.