Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 563: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she will confirm having received correspondence from a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath; if, in this context, she will pursue the suggestion contained therein that some regulation concerning inheritable wind disease for national hunt stallions will be considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14609/06]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the correspondence to which the Deputy refers.

Under the provisions of The European Communities (Equine Stud-Book and Competition) Regulations 2004, SI 399 of 2004, I am empowered to grant approval to a person, an international association or organisation for the purposes of maintaining a stud book subject to compliance with the requirements of the relevant legislation in force. Weatherbys Ireland GSB Limited is the organisation approved to maintain the thoroughbred studbook in which national hunt stallions in Ireland are registered.

The legislation provides for keepers of approved stud-books to divide the main section of their stud-book into classes according to the animal's merits. Therefore, approved studbooks can choose to classify animals in their studbook according to their merits, such as the inheritance of wind disease, to discourage the breeding of animals with a genetic defect.