A SENATOR has raised a question over the validity of Horse Sport Ireland’s tender for the provision of National Breeding Services (NBS), saying he believes the national governing body, which is currently in examinership, may not have satisfied the tender guidelines.

In Seanad Éireann on October 13th, Longford Fianna Fáil Senator Joe Flaherty said the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has “significant questions to answer as regards the awarding of this contract”.

He said: “Was the Department aware that HSI had lost an appeal against the Department of Social Protection determination for €67,000 in relation to PRSI? The tender guidelines are very explicit. Where such a liability exists, and in the absence of a binding payment agreement, the exclusion from the tender process was mandatory.”

Flaherty was referencing the high court petition submitted by Horse Sport Ireland on August 24th 2026, which stated: “In 2025 the Company was notified of a potential issue relating to the PRSI classification of a sole employee within a third party company supplying services to the Company covering the period January 2016 to January 2023. The Department of Social Protection determined that this individual was a class A employee and that PRSI should have been applied to payments made to the individual. The Company appealed this determination, but was unsuccessful. The Company estimated a liability of €67,000 in relation to this matter. The DSP originally set a deadline of May 31st 2026 for the payment of this liability, which was extended to July 31st 2026. This liability has not been discharged.”

The European Single Procurement Document (ESPD), under which all applicants had to submit detailed information, states that the ‘Mandatory Exclusion Grounds’ includes “Non-payment of tax and social security contributions”.

Horse Sport Ireland was notified on July 31st 2026 that its renewal tender had been accepted, subject to a standstill period of 14 days. It is understood no contracts have been signed and the Department of Agriculture has repeatedly said the process is ongoing.

Senator Flaherty confirmed to The Irish Field on Friday that he had not yet received any response from the DAFM on the PRSI matter, but expected to get an answer “in the coming days”.

In the Seanad, Flaherty added that the jobs at the governing body should be protected. “Understandably, there is widespread concern and worry within the sector. Any solution brought forward by the examiner must safeguard as many of the 47 jobs as possible. However, this process cannot be a get-out-of-jail card for senior management. What will inflame this valuable and important sector further will be a government bailout for this agency.”

Compliant

Asked for a comment on the remarks made in the Seanad, a spokesperson from HSI said: “Horse Sport Ireland is compliant with the tender process”.

When questioned by The Irish Field on the status of Horse Sport Ireland’s tender, and if it remains eligible, a DAFM spokesperson said: “The procurement competition held earlier in 2026 for the provision of National Breeding Services (NBS) from January 1st 2027 remains on-going. No contract has been executed for the provision of NBS.

“The Department can confirm that all applicants for the NBS tender were required to submit detailed information under the ‘European Single Procurement Document’ (ESPD) in order to be considered eligible. Audited accounts for 2025 were not an eligibility requirement for the NBS tender competition in 2026. Regarding a Department of Social Protection determination of €67,000 in relation to PRSI, this is a matter for that Department and HSI.”

There was no response at the time of print to further questions, including whether HSI satisfied all the terms of the European Single Procurement Document (ESPD).