Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 15 November 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Challenges Facing the Horse Sport Industry: Horse Sport Ireland (Resumed)

Mr. Denis Duggan:

There is a combination of issues there. With the paperwork we receive from breeders, about 70% of the applications received require some follow-up where some piece of information is missing. It may be payment details, marking charts, or it might be a cover certificate from a stallion owner verifying the covering of the mare. As I said, about 70% of applications require some element of us following up with the breeder and seeking additional information before we can start issuing the passport. On top of that, we have the issue around the SNP testing which, regrettably, is causing a delay this year.