AN estimated 20,000 people working in the equine sector in Ireland are eligible to vote in next Friday’s general election. The thoroughbred industry has an approximate annual value of €1.1 billion and the Irish sport horse industry is estimated to contribute about €700 million to the economy annually.

This week The Irish Field contacted all four main parties to seek their views on a variety of equine-related topics. Only Fine Gael replied and, rather than answer the specific questions, a party spokesman stated: “This is covered in our manifesto.”

Here we publish a summary of how each party covers equine matters in its manifesto.

FINE GAEL

“Fine Gael has shown a determination to prioritise the Horse and Greyhound sectors, by significantly increasing funding over the last five years. We see these sectors as fundamentally important to rural Ireland and will continue to prioritise strategic investment, support and modernisation in this area. Committing to projects like the new Curragh racecourse is a sign of things to come in terms of capital investment in the sector. Fine Gael recognises the contribution of the sport horse industry and will work with stakeholders to implement its 10-year strategy, which is designed to improve quality through improved breeding, education and training as well as welfare, marketing and sales expertise.”

FIANNA FAIL

“The equine industry contributes up to €6 billion to the Irish economy. We must maximise the economic impact and job potential of this enormous resource. We will secure the long-term funding of the horse racing sector with adequate prize money and logistical supports to ensure its prestige and credibility as the global leader is fully maintained.”

LABOUR

A search of their 132-page manifesto for the words ‘horse’ and ‘equine’ yielded no results. On agriculture, it states an intention to “Focus on creating a stronger rural economy by building up vital sectors such as food, tourism, agriculture and retail.”

SINN FEIN

No mention of the equine sector in their 58-page manifesto. The party’s Kerry North/West Limerick TD Martin Ferris actively participated in the movement of the Horse Racing Ireland Bill through the Oireachtas.

RENUA IRELAND

“We believe that a properly and sustainably funded Horse and Greyhound Fund is crucial to the long-term viability of both sectors. We believe that the 1% betting levy is a hopelessly inadequate basis for the fund. We are committed to increasing the levy to 3% of turnover and ringfencing it to ensure the long-term future of these job rich industries. We believe a senior level Department unit should be created to facilitate and drive government policy on the sector.

“We believe that all responsibility for the sport horse sector should return to the Department of Agriculture. A new national breeding programme must be developed to ensure that we dramatically improve the quality of our stock, particularly for the show jumping, eventing and dressage sectors. In order to ensure the best quality horses are available for Irish riders to compete at the top international level, we propose a temporary four year tax incentive scheme to attract investment in the sector, with a clear goal of garnering medals at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020, thus showcasing Irish equestrian sport and breeding at the very highest level.”

SOCIAL DEMOCRATS

No mention of horses in their manifesto. The only references to agriculture concerns food producers.