THE Northern Ireland equestrian community is being urged by the Equine Council for Northern Ireland to take part in an important online survey.

ECNI has been engaged with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) for nearly four years in an attempt to get Government to really understand the importance of the Equine Industry to the economy of Northern Ireland particularly in rural areas. ECNI very strongly believe that the equestrian industry is a major contributor to the Northern Ireland economy but the lack of credible information weakens any argument to try and obtain support. DAERA have commissioned Deloitte to carry out an economic assessment of the industry within Northern Ireland. To assist with this, Deloitte’s have developed an online survey which can be accessed on the DAERA website at www.daera-ni.gov.uk – (see the Quick Links column and scroll down to the Northern Ireland Equine Survey).

This survey is completely anonymous, its purpose is to attempt to ascertain the annual spend in all aspects of the equine industry whether as a professional, an amateur, vet, farrier etc.