THE Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is inviting tenders for both the provision of National Equine Breeding Services (NBS) and the provision of marketing services for the sport horse sector.

The current contracts for both services expire at the end of this year, with the former currently held by Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) and the latter by the Irish Horse Board (IHB).

From 1994 until 2007, the IHB provided all breeding services to the sport horse industry as a cooperative. With the formation of HSI, in 2008 the administration of breeding and sport came together under one umbrella, and the IHB no longer provided these services.

This situation changed again in 2022, when the DAFM invited applications for three separate sport horse breeding-related contracts; studbook services, national breeding services and marketing services.

HSI were successful in their applications for the first two of these contracts, while the IHB was awarded the third. However, HSI filed Judicial Review proceedings in the wake of the DAFM’s decision to award the tender for provision of marketing services for the sport horse sector to the IHB, which were later dropped.

The objective of the NBS is to implement strategies and initiatives in support of Irish sport horse breeders and producers, and it incorporates the delivery of breeding and production incentives and knowledge transfer programmes. It is worth an estimated €6,000,000.

The National Equine Marketing Service will promote and market Irish-bred and produced sport horses, build the reputation of the sport horse industry, increase the national and international exposure of this industry and maximise the economic return to breeders. It is valued at an estimated €2,000,000. Both contracts open to tender are again for a duration of four years.

Dr Alison Corbally, director general of the Irish Horse Board said: “The Irish Horse Board is aware that (the tenders) have been announced recently and the IHB will review the documentation and make a decision in due course.”

A spokesman for Horse Sport Ireland said: “HSI does not comment on the Department of Agriculture, Food and The Marine (DAFM) tendering processes in any way.”