Vol. 550 No. 4
214 Mr. Noonan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development his views on documentation (details supplied) which refers to the issues relating to the breeding of Irish sport horse stallions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8567/02]
The breeding of Irish sport horses is a matter for the Irish Horse Board Co-operative Society Limited, IHB. This is a breeders' organisation, which is registered as a co-operative under the Industrial and Provident Societies Acts, 1893 to 1978. The IHB, which has a membership in excess of 10,200, sets its rules as a co-operative and is answerable in the first instance to its membership. The issues raised in the documentation provided, in particular, the methodology used by the IHB for the selection of stallions for inclusion in its studbook and the operation of the inward buyer scheme, are operational matters for the IHB itself.
