Our sector is a major contributor to the economic wellbeing of the country and the potential for growth and employment nationwide is enormous.

That said, the message we are trying to get across to the people in power has often been incoherent and, consequently, lost in transmission.

This has been obvious to me when I have attended debates in the Dáil and heard some sweeping statements from deputies who simply do not understand our business or its importance.

Many sectors within racing and breeding have beaten a path to the offices of Government ministers, senators, TDs and others in the hope of enlightening them about the sector.

Though often well received, the message does not always seem to result in appropriate action or support.

We have been fortunate to have many ministers who have shown an interest and support for the Irish horse, but we cannot take this for granted.

Tougher times have meant that the financial support has been harder to get, in spite of what we believe is a strong argument for more investment.

To this end I am delighted to see that a new industry group, The Alliance for Racing, is being established. This move, coordinated by the breeder’s representative body - the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association - will have a single task of bringing industry stakeholders together to present one voice and a unified message to Government.

One word in the previous sentence is the key to the way forward – unified.

We must all agree that there is a stated aim for this group; to keep Irish racing and breeding at the forefront nationally and internationally.

Everyone must play their part to ensure that this happens. It is in nobody’s interest that racing suffers from a lack of funding, whatever else happens.

Ireland is the largest producer of thoroughbreds in Europe and fourth largest in the world.

This must not be taken for granted and we have to work diligently to make sure we keep those positions.

It is not enough to rely on reputation and what has happened in the past.

The business is about the here and now and there is a serious need for a proper structure of investment funding to make sure that we move forward. Maintaining the status quo is not an option.

Election time provides an opportunity to tell our politicians the full story.