Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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979. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is satisfied with the management and regulation of the horse breeding industry here with Horse Sport Ireland (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34912/13]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) was established in 2007 following extensive consultation with the main sectoral interests in the sport horse industry.

The establishment of HSI brought together the breeding and sport sides of the Irish Sport Horse Sector.

HSI, a 32 county body, is a limited company run by a board of directors representative of various affiliate bodies. My Department transferred responsibility for maintaining the Irish Horse Register (Irish Sport Horse and Irish Draught studbooks) to HSI in July 2008. My Department is required to ensure that HSI are operating as required under EU and National legislation for registered equidae in regard to maintaining these studbooks. HSI conducts a comprehensive breed improvement programme for the Irish Sport Horse and Irish Draught breeds.

The HSI Breeding Sub Board Committee has the responsibility for formulating breeding policies for the Irish Draught studbook. Members of this Sub Board Committee are nominated and elected by breeders from five electoral regions.

In 2008, HSI initiated a strategic review in order to make improvements to the breeding programmes of the Irish Draught Horse. As part of this overall strategy, HSI developed a revised breeding programme for the Irish Draught Horse with the assistance of an Irish Draught Task Force. The Task Force included representatives of Irish Draught breeders which were chosen by HSI for their knowledge of Irish Draught breeding, rather than for their affiliation to any organization. The review included lengthy consultation with all involved in the industry and the Irish Draught Breeding Policy was published in 2010.

In the current year HSI are initiating a review of this Irish Draught Breeding Policy in order to determine the effectiveness of the policy and make any amendments to the policy which would be in the best interest of the breed. To assist this process, an Irish Draught Breeding Policy Review Taskforce is being established. As part of the review process submissions will be sought from groups or individual breeders regarding the current breeding policy for the Irish Draught with key areas of interest to include the breeding objective for the Studbook, the classification system, inspection system and suggestions for studbook initiatives to improve the quality and marketing of the breed.