FOLLOWING the release of a largely positive Indecon Review into Horse Sport Ireland by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, on Tuesday, the way has now been effectively paved for a greater injection of future public funds into the €700m Irish Sport Horse industry.

Speaking at Charleville Show, just days before the Indecon Review was released, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed told The Irish Field: “This is one of the industries we have enormous potential in, so if we can get all sectors moving together, I’m sure we can achieve that goal.”

When asked how this could be achieved given the wide range of interests and issues within the sport horse industry, Minister Creed responded: “I recognise all of the individual parts and the integrity of all those individually. The question is collectively what can we achieve in terms of delivering an economic dividend for the people in the industry and that is what much of Indecon is about. It’s not about anybody compromising their own identity but actually seeing what we can achieve collectively and having a roadmap.”

Interim chairman of Horse Sport Ireland, Jim Beecher warmly welcomed the Indecon Review but also said that it posed “many challenges” for Horse Sport Ireland. “It is important that we keep the big picture in mind and work towards implementation in the interest of all our stakeholders,” he added.

The Indecon Review will be discussed at the next board meeting on July 18th but will be a SO (standing order) in HSI’s executive meetings each week.

HSI’s interim chief executive, James Kennedy, told The Irish Field: “Overall, it was a good report that allows us to go on to the next phase. It is a two or three step process. It is up to HSI now to adopt this report, put a plan before the Minister, ask for funding and I would be very hopeful that we would get this extra funding.

“The Minister will appoint and empower the new board which will be a business board. HSI is a business after all. The huge potential for the growth of our industry is identified.

“The business focus is now at the very top of the agenda and with this (Report), we have a roadmap for that now.

“There are several things already happening. For example, Sport Ireland is looking at a three-year programme for investment in sport. They recommended we should have an overarching High Performance Committee. We should appoint a Director of High Performance.

“We have started to put this in place. That’s one thing that is happening straight away. We have started with the Olympic affiliates, the first draft of the three-year plan must be in by June.

“The more medals you win, the more money you get. If you are an affiliate that is not winning medals, some funding will be taken off you so it’s very positive as each of the affiliates would know how much they have between now and Tokyo 2020.”

EFFICIENCY

Leading sport horse agent Barry O’Connor was very positive on the outcome of the Indecon Report, stressing the importance of implementing the recommendations on streamlining the organisation to increase efficiency.

“My own view is that, Horse Sport Ireland was set up in 2008 and it was the first of its kind for our industry, it got everyone under one roof, and I believe that is its greatest achievement. It is obvious inside and outside it just needs to be streamlined to be more effective. People need to concentrate on their interests and skillset, whether that is breeding, high performance or whatever.

“Government participation is very welcome and for them to commission the Indecon Report and stand behind the recommendations is a huge milestone. At the meeting, economist Alan Gray said, as an independent economist, that he saw good reason to invest in the industry and the knock on effects it has for rural Ireland.

“The Minister acknowledged the recommendation for funding, now he couldn’t promise anything, but it was positive. People think they are disenfranchised but that is not the case, there is a place for everyone here. People should be spending 100% of their time and effort on their interest, there is no point otherwise – we need more clarity and more specifics, people to concentrate on their skills.

TIMING

“The timing couldn’t be better – it’s going to take the committee members to have a bit of faith and believe it is going to happen. If this is properly funded, it will work and I believe that the government should look favourably on this for funding if we follow the recommendations. I would hope this would be in place by January 1st 2018. I have no say and no involvement but that’s what I think.

“The crux of it is that everybody is trying their best but a new structure can help them do better – that’s how I read into it. There was nothing negative in this,” added O’Connor, who is on the implementation board of Reaching New Heights, and attended the meeting of stakeholders on Tuesday.

On the publication of Economist Jim Power’s report on the Irish Sport Horse industry, O’Connor said it will be made public around the time of the Dublin Horse Show, in about six weeks’ time. “We are very close to making this report public – we are hoping around the time of Dublin Horse Show, and certainly in time for the Budget.”

More coverage of the Indecon Review into Horse Sport Ireland on A68