Copies are also available for other members of the joint committee. The book gives an insight into the past, present and future of the Irish draught horse.
I thank the Chairman and members of the committee for affording us an opportunity to make a presentation to the Oireachtas joint committee today on behalf of the Irish Draught Horse Society Limited, the legal, registered breed society that represents owners and breeders of Irish draught horses in Ireland. We are honoured to be here and will try to provide the joint committee with as much information as possible in the time afforded to us.
I propose to give a brief outline of our society and related matters under seven headings: what is an Irish draught horse?; the history and function of the Irish draught horse; the formation of the Irish Draught Horse Society in 1975; the transformation of the society into a limited company known as the Irish Draught Horse Society Limited in 1989 and operation of the company; the reconstitution of the Irish Draught Horse Society Limited as a co-operative in 2007; the vision and aims of the Irish Draught Horse Society Limited; and the obstacles preventing the society from realising its vision.
What is an Irish draught horse? Some members will remember the Irish draught horse as the working horse in the countryside. Irish draught horses were a common sight throughout the country in the fields and on the roads up to the 1970s. The Irish draught is a robust, docile and intelligent horse that fulfilled many needs on farms. It did week day farm work, pulled the trap to the market, took the family to Sunday worship, carried family members safely under saddle and in the hunt and mares bred a foal annually to produce much needed income. Today, family members of all ages can enjoy the Irish draught horse. It is a versatile and intelligent riding horse and ideal for an amateur rider who wants to have fun in a wide range of disciplines, ranging from show jumping, working hunter and dressage to eventing, driving, trekking and many other disciplines.
On the history and function of the Irish draught horse, the Irish draught is the only indigenous breed of horse in Ireland. Its first authentic mention in literature as a distinct horse was in the 17th century. It has been recognised as a distinctive breed since 1917 when the then Department of Agriculture established a book for horses of the Irish draught type.
The Irish draught horse thrived in Ireland up to the 1970s owing to its central role in Irish life. However, with the dominance of mechanisation in the 1960s and 1970s, the Irish draught was quickly replaced by the tractor on farms and the car on rural roads. It moved from having a central position in rural life to the margins of farming. In many cases, a farmer's pair of Irish draughts was sold to get the £250 needed to buy a tractor. Irish draught mares went to the meat factory and in equal measure to the boats for export, which proved to be of lasting benefit to many European breeders. This process occurred quickly and resulted in the tragic loss of a rich part of our valuable breeding stock and culture. In hindsight, while we knew the price of the Irish draught, we did not know its value.
The Irish Draught Horse Society was established in 1975. Fortunately, a small number of people realised that the breed was in danger of extinction and took steps to preserve the Irish draught horse. It is generally accepted that Mary Joyce Quinlan, who lived in Cork and later became the first national secretary of the society, took the first steps on the road to the formation of the Irish Draught Horse Society. The first public meeting that established the society was held in Dunmanway, west Cork, in 1975. This meeting was followed by countrywide meetings and the establishment of a national structure.
In its early years, the Irish Draught Horse Society did valuable work in promoting the Irish draught horse, lobbying for Government support for the breed and securing sponsorship for flagship events such as the Greenvale Championship in Millstreet which had up to 30 qualifying rounds at shows countrywide, generating enthusiasm and interest in the breed and a strong sense of pride among Irish draught mare owners.
The society was instrumental in organising an annual breed show and national breed sales at different venues. These events helped to raise the morale of loyal enthusiasts who had held on to their Irish draughts and rekindled interest in the Irish draught horse.
A decision was taken in 1989 to seek the protection of limited company status. Memorandum and articles of association were registered in the Companies Registration Office and the society was incorporated as a limited company called the Irish Draught Horse Society Limited. However, the society was not operated in compliance with its memorandum and articles of association. While individuals were allowed to pay annual membership fees to the company and were issued with individual membership cards, they were not allowed to vote at general meetings of the society. For many years, members felt that their voices were not heard in the formulation of policy for the Irish draught horse and believed there was a democratic deficit in the society. A number of different versions of the memorandum and articles were circulated and at different times the society operated under different versions. However, only the original memorandum and articles were duly registered in the Companies Registration Office.
It proved impossible to obtain clarity on the legal position from within the society, effect change or get transparency in the operation of the company or decision-making regarding the Irish draught. A large number of members grew dissatisfied with decision-making in the society. Following a long process, a general meeting of members was held in July 2006 and a committee was elected to seek a workable solution to the situation.
The reconstitution of the Irish Draught Horse Society Limited as a co-operative took place in 2007. The committee elected in July 2006 took legal and professional advice for several months from July 2006 to January 2007. A consensus was reached that a co-operative structure was the most appropriate configuration for a breed society and a number of examples of co-operative structures, including the cattle breed societies, were examined. The preparation of a suitable set of rules was carried out in close consultation with the Irish Co-operative Organisations Society, ICOS. During this time and prior to the circulation of the proposed rules, a number of efforts were made to secure agreement so that a united proposal could be put before the members. The governing body of the society was written to in this regard, but the request did not receive a positive response. A general meeting of all members of the society was called under legal advice and direction on 31 March 2007. The resolutions were duly circulated beforehand and the meeting was supervised by a representative of the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society and a legal adviser who specialised in company law. A copy of the resolutions has been circulated to members. A large majority of ballots were cast in favour of all the resolutions.
The first resolution provided for the removal of the existing directors of the company and the appointment of named directors in their place. However, following the meeting and vote, the former directors refused to accept the validity of the meeting and continued to act as directors of the society. The Companies Registration Office refused to register the newly elected directors as an objection had been lodged with the office. The bank which held the funds and bank accounts of the society refused to freeze the accounts, recognise the newly elected directors and give them access to the existing bank accounts. In the circumstances, the directors opened an interim bank account in April 2007 under the name of the Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association. That bank account still exists and we subsequently registered the title Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association as a limited company for the Irish Draught Horse Society Limited, in which it holds one share.
The newly elected directors of the company had to take legal action against the former directors personally in order to uphold the validity of the March meeting and the resolutions adopted by members at that meeting. Following postponements and failed mediation efforts, the case was due to be heard in the High Court on 4 April 2008. On that day the former directors accepted in full the validity of the meeting and that the resolutions passed a year earlier on 31 March 2007 were binding from that date. The terms of settlement were placed before the High Court and a court order issued on foot of it on 11 April 2008. The process of reconstituting the society as a co-operative was completed on 9 July 2008 when the Registry of Friendly Societies issued the registration certificate, number 5487R. Copies of the terms of settlement, the High Court order and the registration certificate have been circulated to committee members.
The Irish Draught Horse Society has absolutely no interest in squabbling with anybody. It is an equitable, legal and transparent entity. As an affiliate of the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, we must observe that body's rules and are bound by European Union legislation as we work to maintain the Irish draught horse for future generations. The Irish draught horse is in decline and has lost both many of its traditional characteristics and many of its bloodlines. The Irish draught horse is a distinct foundation breed. It is also a victim of its own success because of the wonderful qualities of its progeny when crossed with the thoroughbred. The hybrid vigour that comes from the distinct qualities of the Irish draught horse and the thoroughbred have made the Irish horse world famous.
While the society is pleased to see the Irish draught horse contribute to the admirable qualities of the sport horse, formerly known as the half-bred, the breed society is concerned with promoting the pure Irish draught horse. The Irish draught horse makes an enormous contribution to the sport horse industry, but that contribution must never be the primary focus of policies for the Irish draught breed. The Irish draught horse cannot be used and abused for purposes that dilute and erode its inherent characteristics. The Irish draught horse owes its survival to those who retained it at times when it was neither fashionable nor profitable to do so. Like the horse, its owners are intelligent people who endure the winds of change and passing whims. They support the breed because they cherish it. The owners of Irish draught horses who continue to feed, breed and work them during the tough times are the custodians of the breed.
The Irish Draught Horse Society Limited is a breed preservation society. Since its registration as a co-operative in July 2008, more than 400 shareholders have been accepted as members of the co-operative, all of whom are registered owners of an Irish draught horse. The society has a clear vision for the Irish draught horse and that vision is expressed in our breed policies. These policies were discussed by society members and endorsed at the 2009 annual general meeting. The policies to which I refer are the studbook rules, breed standard, breed objectives and the breed preservation and development plan. A copy of each of these policies has been circulated to members of the committee and my colleagues and I will gladly discuss them in detail with members.
All studbooks in member states must comply with European Union equine legislation. The Irish draught horse studbook is currently maintained by Horse Sport Ireland. The studbook rules submitted by Horse Sport Ireland to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food as part of its application to maintain the Irish draught horse studbook are a matter of serious concern to us. Copies of the studbook rules submitted to the Department in February 2008 and in April 2009 have been made available to the members of the committee. My colleagues and I would appreciate the opportunity to specify our concerns in the course of today's discussion.
It is remarkable that the Irish draught horse is the only species in Ireland in respect of which the breed studbook is not maintained by the relevant breed society. Irish Pony Society Limited, Connemara Pony Breeders Society Limited, Irish Piebald and Skewbald Association Limited, Kerry Bog Pony Co-operative Society Limited and the Irish Cob Society are all equine breeding organisations which maintain their own breed studbooks. The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is the competent authority in this regard, that is, the body which allocates studbooks to appropriate breed organisations.
As its name and remit indicate, the main focus of Horse Sport Ireland is the sport horse. Given that it has no representative of the Irish Draught Horse Society Limited on any of its boards and no mechanism for the inclusion of any representative of the society in its decision-making, we do not consider it to be a suitable entity to maintain the studbook for the Irish draught horse. The Dowling report which set out the template for the creation of Horse Sport Ireland states: "The responsibilities of HSI are to develop and implement strategies for the development and promotion of an internationally competitive Irish sport horse industry". This clearly does not have the distinctive qualities of the Irish draught horse at its core. I was unable to find any reference whatsoever to the Irish draught horse in the Dowling report, although it is interesting to note that specific provision is made for the inclusion of a representative of both the Connemara Pony Breeders Society and the Irish Pony Society.
In order to apply to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for approval to maintain a studbook, the first requirement is a legal personality. In June 2009 Irish Draught Horse Society Limited which has a legal personality applied to the Department for approval to maintain the Irish draught horse studbook. We supplied all requested documentation and are awaiting a final decision on our application. The issues of most concern to us are the preservation and development of the Irish draught horse for future generations; our recognition by the Department and all other Government funded bodies as the legal, registered breed society which represents owners of Irish draught horses in Ireland, and approval to maintain the Irish draught horse studbook. I thank members for their attention.