Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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93. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he and his Department continue to monitor the breeding, management and husbandry of the non-thoroughbred horse sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43479/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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My Department currently approves 7 organisations to maintain 11 studbooks for registered equidae in the non-thoroughbred sectorwhich covers the following breeds:

- Irish Sport Horse, Irish Draught Horse, Irish Sport Pony and Irish Cobs maintained by Horse Sport Ireland;

- Connemara pony maintained by the Connemara Pony Breeders Society;

- Irish Piebald and Skewbald and Irish Donkey maintained by Leisure Horse Ireland;

- Irish Warmblood maintained by the Irish Warmblood Studbook

- Irish Riding Pony maintained by The Irish Pony Society;

- Kerry Bog Pony maintained by The Kerry Bog Society;

- The Irish Appaloosa maintained by The Irish Appaloosa Association.

As part of their approval process each organisation is required to submit a detailed application and is inspected by my Department.

Each approved studbook keeping organisation is required to operate a breeding programme for their respective breed. The principles of the breeding programme are set out in EU legislation and include elements such as the characteristics of the breed, the objectives of the breed, the sections within the studbook, the eligibility criteria for entry and the use of performance data relevant to the breed’s objectives.

Any changes to the studbook rules during their three year period of approval are required to be notified to my Department.

The main role for my Department is to ensure that the studbook rules of each studbook comply with EU legislation and are implemented accordingly. In that regard, my Department inspects each studbook keeping organisation at least once every three years, and more frequently if required.

My Department allocates significant funding to the non-thoroughbred sector for various initiatives. In addition, the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which my Department submitted last July to the European Commission for approval, contains a proposal to establish Knowledge Transfer Groups in the equine sector. It is proposed that these Knowledge Transfer Groups would focus on breeding management and husbandry aspects of the equine farm enterprise in order to encourage and support the development of the knowledge base in the sector.