THE last two years has been a very challenging time but what better place to return to normality than at the ITBA National Breeding and Racing Awards.

It was great to see such a packed house in The Heritage last Sunday as we celebrated the outstanding achievements of the Irish breeding industry.

Since taking over chairperson of the association in 2020 I am very conscious of the workload carried out by both volunteers and office staff.

This work often goes unnoticed and is sometimes unheralded.

Last Sunday’s showcase required months of planning and tremendous credit must go to awards chairperson Joe Foley and his committee, the brilliant MC Leo Powell, all ably assisted by the office staff with particular mention to Kerry Ryan, who year on year operates over and above the call of duty.

Among those in attendance was newly appointed CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, Suzanne Eade, and I wish her every success in her new role. We thank Suzanne for her support of the breeding industry and her commitment to supporting the IRE Incentive Scheme which is now entering its second year.

Our association has fought hard to get a meaningful contribution from the Horse and Greyhound Fund and we look forward to enhancing the IRE incentive Scheme over the coming years.

I would also like to mention the substantial financial support HRI has given to the Weatherbys ITBA National Hunt Fillies Bonus Scheme over the years, a scheme which has transformed the face of the National Hunt filly.

Some of the ITBA’s priorities in the immediate future include education, welfare, farm safety and staffing and we will continue to work closely with the senior management team at HRI to deliver in these areas.

Government support

The industry enjoys a very healthy relationship with Government on both sides of the house. The support they provided was particularly welcome during the early stages of Covid as we managed to keep the breeding industry open for business. A lot of effort went into this and it resulted in the breeding industry maintaining full employment levels throughout the pandemic.

The introduction of the digital passport will ultimately enhance traceability and I wish to compliment Sharon O’Regan and the team at Weatherbys for their innovative work.

A critical body of work at present is the development of a High Health Breeding Status (HHB) which will see a seamless movement of those thoroughbreds that are compliant with the Codes of Practice. I wish to thank ITBA veterinary consultant Des Leadon on the endless hours he has put into this concept.

I would also like to thank the Department of Agriculture’s chief veterinary officer, Martin Blake for his support in this area. This support involves liaising with member states with a view to finding a way through the difficulties stud farms have found in getting foreign mares to visit Irish stallions. A sincere thanks also to our own Joe Hernon, chairman of the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders Associations for his efforts in driving this agenda.

The association is also exploring funding options in the area of biodiversity and sustainability with a view to educating breeders in better utilisation of land. As an industry we are proud to be clean and green. I thank Minister Hackett for her support and look forward to developing this relationship with her in the coming months.

The ITBA is a wonderful, effective organisation with a highly efficient team in CEO Shane O’Dwyer, Kerry Ryan and Una Tormey. As this year is an election year, I encourage as many people as possible, particularly young people, to get more involved.

Our incoming chairperson Cathy Grassick will be visionary and innovative. I know one of her goals is to develop the next generation of breeders, a priority identified by our strategic and organisational report conducted last year. As an industry we are indeed world leaders and leave a mark in every corner of the globe. Breeding horses is not an easy game and we are constantly dreaming of breeding a very good one. That is what keeps us in the game.

The thoroughbred industry is a great business and I again congratulate all this year’s award winners and applaud your success.