Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2017
1324. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps taken to eliminate hoof wall separation disease in Connemara ponies; the reason testing has not been made mandatory for all ponies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37880/17]
View answerHoof Wall Separation Disease (HWSD) is caused by a genetic defect that appears to occur only in the Connemara pony breed and the carrier frequency has been estimated to be about 14.8%. For a foal to be affected by the disease both sire and dam must be carriers.
The Connemara Pony Breeders Society (CPBS) has been approved by my Department to maintain the Studbook for Connemara Ponies and in this regard operate a breeding programme for the breed.
Research carried out by the Connemara Pony Breeders Society in conjunction with Weatherbys has enabled them to test for the presence of the HWSD gene. My Department has allocated funding to the Connemara Pony Breeders Society under the Equine Infrastructures Scheme since 2015 to facilitate this project.
The results from this project will enable the Society to plan for the future and implement a strategy to manage this genetic defect identifying potential carriers. This should decrease the incidence of the disease with a view to eliminating it for the Connemara pony population.
Regarding the mandatory testing of all ponies for entry into the studbook, European Union Commission Decision 96/78/EC sets out the criteria for entry into the main section of the studbook. These criteria prevent the CPBS from imposing a mandatory requirement for animals to be tested for HWSD in order to enter the studbook.
