Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 June 2025
158. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline the Department's strategy for supporting the wider equine sector, particularly small-scale breeders and leisure horse owners. [34661/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs you are aware, Ireland has a rich equestrian heritage, and has long been celebrated for its passion for horses and the exceptional quality of its equine industry. We are world-renowned for our affinity with horses and are proud of our reputation of being the ‘Land of the Horse’. The Irish equestrian industry has a deep-rooted history in our culture and is also a critical contributor to a balanced regional economy.
Therefore, I am committed to ensuring that the sport horse industry achieves its maximum potential, and in so doing, contributes to national economic and social development over a wide geographic distribution. This is an important pillar of current Government policy.
My Department provides approximately €6 million in funding annually for the development of the breeding and production side of the industry, through contracting services to deliver breeding and marketing initiatives and for specific equine industry projects, as follows:
• Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) is contracted to deliver National Breeding Services, which has a total budget of €4.4m per annum, while the Irish Horse Board (IHB) is contracted to deliver Marketing Services, with a total budget of €0.8m per annum.
• My Department also provides a secondary funding stream to the industry through the ‘Equine Technical Support and Equine Breeding Scheme’ (ETS), which has a budget of €854,000 for this coming year. The funding is allocated to various equine projects based on merit, using a competitive application process.
In addition, my Department is providing funding to the equine sector under the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3), where equine holders now have an opportunity to obtain funding to invest in important infrastructure for their farms. Supports are available for housing, training facilities and fencing to help make the breeding and handling of horses safer for farmers and the animals.
Many small farmers have benefited from the support under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), with priority access through the option on the ‘Conservation of Rare Breeds’, where they keep Connemara ponies, Kerry Bog ponies or Irish Draughts. This is an important strategy of my Department to conserve the genetic diversity of native breeds that are at risk of extinction, and to endeavour to retain and, where possible, increase populations of these rare breeds to ensure their long-term survival.
Finally, as recognition of the sport horse sector's value, I look forward to continuing my support, which also aligns with broader Government objectives.
