THE Irish Sport Horse industry is deflated this week after a “minuscule” increase of €500,000 from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in Budget 2019, bringing their total funding from that department to €3 million.

A figure of €600,000 was announced publicly by Minister Michael Creed at his Budget 2019 press briefing in Government Buildings in Dublin on Wednesday morning. However, a department spokesperson later confirmed the increase to be €500,000, the same increase as in 2018. Creed described that as significant, saying: “Horse Sport Ireland’s budget is going up to €3 million, from €2.4 million, so there is a significant increase in the budget there.” However, HSI’s funding in 2018 was in fact €2.5 million, not €2.4m.