Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am conscious that four Members present are members of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The man that may have more to say than anyone is the man from that wonderful horse country, Kildare. He is the Senator slightly behind me here. I thank the Minister for being here. We all know that horse racing and horse breeding are an integral part of agricultural, rural life, rural communities, and the rural economy. They are connected both directly and indirectly to rural employment and the rural economy. They play a significant role, in some counties more than others. Senator Daly has spoken about the amendment. The substantive issues addressed in the amendment are valid.

I have raised this matter with the Minister at the committee and he and his officials acknowledged it. We have the reports from Indecon Economic Consultants and Deloitte. I suggested at the committee that they be dusted off and looked at because they were detailed reports and some aspects of them may need to be revisited. That is not a bad thing. We have commissioned these reports. Let us look at them again because they are important. In his contribution, the Minister referred to the joint committee's substantial report on the industry.Within days of that being published, we had an incident in Kildare which I will not go into for various reasons. Revenue and An Garda Síochána are involved and there are serious questions and an ongoing investigation. The Minister and all of us know about it. There is an element of speculation so it is not appropriate to comment other than to say it raises suspicion and concern about the integrity of the business. We want to protect this valuable industry and business. In principle, the Minister is asking for the approval of more than €70 million for the horse racing sector alone, and that is a huge amount of money so it is right we have proper probity and governance regarding the issues in the industry.

As I said at the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, animal welfare has to be a critical part of this. A percentage of this funding is ring-fenced for animal welfare but that issue is of serious concern. I ask if the Minister's officials could circulate Working Together for Animal Welfare: Ireland's Animal Welfare Strategy 2021-2025 to every Member of the Oireachtas. It is an important document, particularly the reference to the establishment of the chair of animal welfare and veterinary ethics at University College Dublin school of veterinary medicine. It is a positive move and one I welcome, especially the mainstreaming of animal welfare across all Teagasc education, knowledge transfer and training activities. In a Seanad debate in the next quarter, we might focus on this important document. The introduction of the new scheme for improvement of greyhound traceability is also referenced in the report.

I am supportive. There is a very valid aspect to the amendments and I am interested in the Minister's response to them. I ask that he circulate the working together on animal welfare document because there are some critical issues. He might also reference the tagging and reference of bloodstock, on which he had a national audit. It is a welcome initiative.