Vol. 236 No. 11
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries if he will state in respect of the Survey Team on the Horse-breeding Industry (a) the date on which it was set up, (b) the date on which it issued its report and (c) what steps have been taken to give effect to its recommendations.
25.
asked the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries what progress has been made to implement the report by the survey team set up by the Government on the horse-breeding industry, particularly in view of the serious failure of the Irish teams in Mexico, and in view of the damage that this failure might do to the future export of Irish horses.
I propose with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 24 and 25 together.
The Survey Team on the Horse Breeding Industry was set up in January 1965, and its report was submitted in May, 1966.
As I have indicated in reply to previous similar questions, the recommendations of the survey team are of concern to a considerable number of voluntary organisations interested in different aspects of the horse breeding industry as well as to various Departments of State.
There are 63 separate recommendations in the Report and, so far as my Department is concerned, action has already been taken on such matters as the introduction this year of a comprehensive national breeding scheme with provision for mare nominations at a higher value together with new foaling premiums. Other recommendations on such subjects as the display of Connemara ponies and Irish draught horses at the Horse Show have also been implemented.
Major recommendations relate to the establishment of a horse board, the provision of a national training centre and statutory control of riding establishments. The various organisations concerned have had consultations amongst themselves and with my Department. Some points of difficulty which the organisations had raised were resolved only a few months ago. In the meantime the heads of legislation are being prepared and I hope to introduce a Bill on the subject in the near future.
Will the Minister not agree that there is very much dissatisfaction with the manner in which the team is selected and that many claim it is not done on a fair and equitable basis? Will the Minister not also agree that the elimination of both the show-jumping team and the team in the three-day-event has damaged the image of Irish horses abroad seeing that we were noted for first-class Irish horses in the past? Could the Minister take action in that regard immediately in order to restore the good image we had in the past?
I agree to quite an extent with what the Deputy says and his expression of disappointment at how poorly we emerged from the recent Olympic contest. On the other hand, it must be appreciated that while our jumping team achievements in recent years have not been, perhaps, up to the standard of some years back, nevertheless, they have been in certain cases quite noteworthy. What is possibly lost sight of is that many of the other renowned jumping teams of today are, in fact, riding some Irish horses and, in some cases, exclusively Irish horses. From our point of view, as a nation exporting good horseflesh, the fact that other nations win with our horses under them may be as good as or better than if we were reserving the best horses for ourselves and we were winning everything and nobody else winning anything, as far as horse-breeding and sales of horses are concerned.
Would the Minister agree that an equestrian training centre should be set up and that those in control of the Irish jumping team could retain some of the good jumpers going abroad because I do not agree entirely——
That would be too much to expect.
——with all that the Minister has said. I think it would be better to see Irish horses win abroad with Irishmen or Irish women riding them and the Irish flag being hoisted than to have all the best Irish horses sold abroad.
The Deputy may not make a speech on this.
Is it true that our buyers are not permitted to pay the price for some of these horses?
There are quite a number of these things. The Deputy should not take it from what I have said that I would prefer to see other nations winning on our horses. I should like to see it both ways and I should like to see any difficulties encountered in recent times and difficulties which may have emerged over the years resolved. I should also like to see better facilities for training and what would be regarded and accepted as a fair method of selection of team riders if that is alleged not to be the position at the moment. Further, I should like to see—indeed, there have been discussions over some time past in this connection—some method devised so that, while keeping in mind that our position is to a large extent that of wishing to export horses, at the same time we could retain a better quota of the best of our horses for our own use, at least for some years of their lives before they go abroad. I am all in favour of all these things and all with those who say these things should be done. What I am trying to do in consultation with all concerned is find a way of achieving them. In the new Bill, the heads of which are now being drafted, I hope to be able to contribute somewhat, if not substantially, to the attainment of these desirable ends regarding horse-breeding, show-jumping, team-selecting and so on.
Could we give more encouragement to the Army in that regard to building up a corps of trained riders and horses?
That is a separate question.
I suppose it is all in the Bill.
May I ask the Minister to take an early opportunity of having a conference with those in charge of show jumping in this country and particularly with those in charge of the teams that went abroad this year to discuss ways and means of improving the situation generally?
As I have mentioned, we have had various discussions with a great number of organisations all in their various ways directed towards the improvement of this industry. They, in turn, have been discussing these matters among themselves and then coming back to us and so on. This has taken a considerable time but, again, if there are still some points for discussion not yet covered——
I think there are.
——and I am sure there may well be, certainly we would be very happy to discuss things further with them.
