Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 115, 116, 117, 118 and 119 together.

The Irish Equine sector, contributing €2.6 billion and 42,000 jobs to the Irish economy is extremely dependent on the frequent movement of horses both in to and out of Ireland. Brexit has had a measurably negative effect on the such equine movements. Movements for breeding between Ireland and the EU have declined by 25% and our international racing traffic has reduced by 25% since 2019, due to legislative and regulatory divergence and third country import requirements. In addition, Brexit has placed additional administrative burden and expense on people wishing to move horses internationally.

The Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) was established to fund support measures specifically set up to address issues directly associated with the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. In recognition of the negative impact of Brexit on the Irish horse sector, my Department sought BAR funding for an e-passport scheme as such a support measure. The e-passport provides a number of benefits to equine keepers in terms of easing movements including pre-clearance for racing and events and a total fund of €1.8 million was subsequently approved for this project.

My Department introduced an equine E-Passport Scheme in May 2023 which is open to ALL approved equine Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs) operating within the State. All applications submitted by approved PIOs under the BAR funded E-Passport Scheme are subject to assessment by a team of officials of my Department who will determine the specific expenditure items that may be eligible for funding under the Scheme.

Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) is the second largest PIO, carrying out 33% of foal registrations in 2022. In recognition of the significant benefit e-passports will be to equine keepers registering their foals with them, HSI, as a state body, has complied with public procurement rules to secure a service for the development of an e-passport system that will meet the requirements set out in the EU Animal Health Law and its supplementing delegated and Implementing Regulations.

My Department has confirmed that the BAR regulation provides that expenditure shall be eligible for BAR funding once it is paid during the reference period, thus HSI is eligible to apply for funding while complying with procurement rules.

My Department has stipulated that payment is conditional on HSI meeting the deadlines set down by the Deputy and we welcome the inclusion of these deadlines as requirements for potential tenderers.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The list of financial allocations from my Department under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) Fund for each of the years 2021, 2022 and 2023 is set out below.

Table 2 2022 BAR Allocation

Table 3 2023 BAR Allocation

My Department is working closely with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform to maximise the funding from BAR that is available to the various areas within the agri-food sector. As part of my Department’s 2023 supplementary estimate I intend to increase the 2023 BAR allocation further, subject to Oireachtas approval.