Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

No. The most important part of the cow was its ears. The quality of the animal had no bearing. During the boom, the standard of horse fell significantly because people held on to low quality stock. Bizarrely, there was a trade in that stock. When the recession hit, there was no outlet. There was also an issue with passports and slaughtering facilities for those horses. All of this caused a welfare problem, but the greater issue is that of quality and breeding standards.

Our beef industry has come a long way from farming for ears to breeding strategies. We are now moving a step farther and engaging in genomics. Explaining this to farmers will take a while, but they will appreciate it in time. We need a similar strategy in the sport horse industry, given that it will face greater challenges than the dairy sector or even the beef sector did. We should transfer what we have learned from the roll-out of the beef data and genomics scheme to the equine sector. I encourage the Minister to devise a scheme, even if it is just to get information out there. Professor Wall is determined to explain to breeders on the ground what is being sought by the market, but more needs to be done if we are to communicate to them what is happening. Those tools that have been developed by the Department for the beef sector can be replicated in the equine sector.

We must consider what to do with animals that do not have chips or proper passports. This problem is costing the animal welfare funds of the Minister's Department, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and so forth approximately €5 million per year. This cannot continue and some solution must be found, as our export industry is too important. We must try to improve standards and bring all of the players together - Teagasc, Horse Sport Ireland, the welfare groups, UCD, the Minister's Department, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the breeder societies - around the same table and develop a strategy for the sport horse industry from its weaker end to its international and Olympic end.

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