“IF tariffs come into our business, it’s over,” owner of Lynn Lodge Stud, Eddie O’Leary, said at last Friday’s ITBA Expo.

The implications of Brexit on the industry in Ireland was top of the agenda for the ‘What if – a vision for 2028’, where the vice president of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness MEP (FG), urged the industry to fight their case.

Tariffs, the movement of people and the looming breakdown in the Tripartite Agreement were among the most worrying items on the agenda at the seminar.

The Tripartite Agreement, which allows the free movement of horses between Ireland, the UK and France, will no longer apply to the UK after their withdrawal from the European Union, but McGuinness is hopeful that Ireland and the UK can remain as close as possible.

“The core principles of the European Union should not be impacted by one country deciding to leave,” McGuiness said.

“It has to be stated that Europe will not want to, nor is prepared to, tweak the rulebook to accommodate the UK. In terms of animal welfare issues and stops at the border, I would hope that those issues would overcome the political issues.” However, she added: “If we cannot overcome our difficulties, then I think your sector has a real problem. I say until I’m blue in the face, the UK needs to stay in the customs union, at a minimum, because that solves a great deal of problems. It would be better that they stay in the single market as well,” added McGuinness.

Discussing movement of grooms and industry workers between Ireland and the UK, McGuiness said there is likely to be implications for non-Irish EU citizens.

“The UK is very strong in wanting to take back control, particularly around the movement of people, and therefore there is likely to be implications for the movement of workers that are from other EU member states, there is likely to be damage, rather than unlikely. So it’s disruptive at the very least.”

Joe Foley of Ballyhane Stud sat on the panel and described the potential introduction of tariffs on horses sold to Britain as “catastrophic”. In terms of the racing and breeding industry, the vast majority of thoroughbreds are sold to Britain.

Stuart Clarke of Cavan Equestrian Centre, one of Ireland’s leading show facilities and sport horse auction houses, told The Irish Field up to 70% of horses sold in Cavan go to Britain. “It would be a huge problem, a tariff or duty would be classed as an extra cost by any potential purchaser,” Clarke said.

“The only thing is if it happens here, well it is going to be the same for the rest of Europe, in terms of selling horses to the UK, so while it’s not a good thing, other countries will be in the same boat.

“The British are our main customer for pleasure horses and sport horses to a level. Between what is sold directly and what goes through some of the busier dealers, 60-70% of horses sold here go to Britain. That market is very important to the country.”

In terms of a hard border, Clarke added: “There just can’t be a hard border, and that would be a bigger problem for the shows here, more so than the sales to a point.”

McGuinness concluded by urging the industry to keep in touch with the EU Parliament and make a specific case for the industry.

“We don’t want your industry to be damaged – it would be appalling to think that an industry that has so much jobs, value and also so much societal value in terms of people sporting and culture could be damaged.

“I think the more you put forward your case in this specific area, down to the very last details, because it is in the detail that we have to be so strong on, not general principles, it has to be the detail,” McGuiness said.