Equine welfare, identification and traceability as well as breeding and funding issues took centre stage in two major reports launched last week.

Some 44 recommendations were unveiled in a blueprint report on the Irish horse industry launched by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, chaired by Andrew Doyle TD.

Meanwhile, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney launched the 2016-2020 Strategic Framework unveiled by the ISPCA where there are plans to extend the inspector service aimed at combating animal cruelty over the next five years. Coveney reminded all dog owners of a new Government initiative making it compulsory to have all dogs microchipped by March.

Last year, the ISPCA, which is Ireland’s biggest national animal welfare organisation, received over 3,000 reports of animal cruelty and rescued 74 horses, ponies and donkeys.

IRISH HORSE INDUSTRY REPORT

Among the main recommendations of the report were the development of a national plan to cover all sectors of the horse industry in Ireland and that a specific division be established within the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to deal with equine issues.

The funding for the horse industry should fall under the remit of DAFM for both Horse Sport Ireland and Horse Racing Ireland, while the funding of elite show jumpers will stay with the Sports Council. The report also recommended extra State funding for the Irish Equine Centre in Co Kildare to enable it work on all issues in relation to equine health.

All existing legislation should be rigorously enforced, such as passport, microchipping, disease prevention and registration of equine premises, while the transfer of ownership regulations will be adjusted again to ensure that vendors as well as buyers are required to register the sale of equines.

The committee recommended that a single type of passport should be used for registration and that a traceability plan similar to the Animal Identification and Movement (AIM) system in the cattle sector be rolled out.

When it comes to welfare, the report called for greater co-ordination and collaboration between the State agencies on equine welfare and abandonment and the setting up of a task force of An Garda Síochána, DAFM officials and local authority personnel to target areas with high equine abandonment figures. It called on local authorities to appoint and resource dedicated animal welfare officers nationwide.

It also recommended that a funding stream be formalised to the main charity organisations working on behalf of the industry and that funding be provided to ISPCA inspectors who now have statutory powers.

The report said the IHWT should be financially supported in its plans for regional and national horse welfare projects and educational projects as well as IHWT castration clinics, particularly in urban areas. It noted that in 2011, 2,936 equines were seized and euthanised but that figure rose to 4,923 by 2014.

When it comes to breeding, a tax incentive measure should be considered to encourage small thoroughbred breeders to reinvest and buy new broodmare stock. Similarly, the future of the traditional breed of the Irish Sport Horse should be supported with a development programme. The report called for greater financial support for native breeds, namely the Irish Draught and Connemara Pony.

Inspections

Given the controversy over the sport horse stallion inspection suspension, the report also recommended that the practice of inspections of Irish Sport Horses, the Irish Draught Horse and the Connemara Pony be continued to ensure “that the quality of stallions involved in the sector is guaranteed and that the reputation of the sector is protected”. Another recommendation was that consideration be given to eliminating ID passports or equalising the cost of ID and studbook passports.