Chairman
Committee members
Ladies and gentlemen
I am very pleased to be here with you in the very pleasant surroundings of Leopardstown Racecourse this morning to perform the official opening of EXPO 2012.
At the outset I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the very important contribution the thoroughbred industry makes to the social and economic fabric of this country.
The Irish thoroughbred industry is very important in economic terms with some 17,300 full-time employees and an estimated annual output of €900m per year.
The industry has a national network of racecourses, breeders, owners and trainers. It maintains a unique skill base built up over many years, mostly in rural Ireland, and has an important role to play in sustaining employment. The marvellous achievements of Irish breeders, trainers, jockeys and owners at home and abroad in recent years have enhanced the reputation of this country greatly as a nation that can play to its strengths, compete with the very best internationally and emerge victorious.
We all realise that these magnificent achievements haven’t come about by accident. They are the product of a huge combination of factors - knowledge, hard work, attention to detail, excellent breeding decisions, good animal health & husbandry, and access to the best advice and products on the market such as those on display at this event.
The industry statistics for 2011 published last month by Horse Racing Ireland make interesting reading. A few notable facts are:
Sales of bloodstock at Irish auctions were up 19% to €81 million in 2011, thoroughbred horses were exported to thirty five countries worldwide in 2011.
Sales of Irish – foaled exports came to €157 million in 2011, a 6.5% increase on 2010.
Last year Irish-trained horses had remarkable success in the UK and overseas, with a 53% increase in prize money won abroad totalling €13 million.
The World Thoroughbred Rankings show that 6 of the top 10 two-year-olds in the world in 2011 were Irish-trained.
While there is understandable concern at the reduction in domestic ownership and the fall in the number of horses in training, Irish Breeders, assisted by Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM), are proving adept at responding to the current difficult economic conditions at home by building markets overseas and driving inward investment.
The Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association (ITBA) is a critical part of the infrastructure underpinning the thoroughbred industry. It represents the sector at home and abroad in various fora and facilitates up to date knowledge transfer on breeding and veterinary best practice to breeders through its educational and training programme.
I understand the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been in a position to support certain projects undertaken by the ITBA by way of funding from the National Development Plan.
This EXPO has many facets. It provides the perfect platform for exhibitors to showcase and sell a very wide range of products. I am also aware of the inter-active aspects to the weekend’s proceedings such as the displays and demonstrations scheduled to take place in the parade ring and also the International Breeding and Racing Forum (the Forum) scheduled for 6 o clock this evening.
This Forum is unique as it brings together seven highly respected individuals, from across the globe, to form a panel. Each one is here to answer and interact with questions submitted via SMS, e-mail, twitter or Facebook.
For the first time ever this interactive forum will be streamed live to an anticipated global audience of 3,000 which will help to highlight Ireland’s position as a leading global exporting country of thoroughbreds. Those in attendance and those watching on line will be able to pose a question or make a comment using all forms of social media.
I am very impressed at the novel approach adopted in relation to the Forum seeking as it does to engage with as large an audience as possible in as open a manner as possible.
The ITBA and the organising committee are to be commended for the comprehensive programme of events it has devised as well as the vast and wide-ranging array of exhibitors in attendance. The combination of seminars, commercial presentations, displays in the parade ring, demonstrations by the Irish Farriery School and a Fashion Show ensures there is something for everybody and admittance is free! This event allows breeders and all related industry bodies to interact in both a professional and social capacity.
Ireland is a leading player in the global thoroughbred market.
The industry is continuing to increase its market share and exports are continuing to thrive thanks to the great work being carried out by Irish Thoroughbred Marketing (ITM) in harnessing and developing these global markets.
The ITM team visited 22 different countries last year promoting Irish bloodstock and encouraging investors to choose Ireland as a location in which to invest, be it through buying a horse, having a horse trained or establishing a bloodstock enterprise.
The UK continues to be Ireland’s largest market for thoroughbred horses but ITM is constantly working on developing overseas markets with particular recent focus on China, South America, India and Russia. The continued "high health status" of the Irish thoroughbred is of enormous importance to the sector and we must acknowledge the important roles played by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Irish Equine Centre in this regard.
Ireland is truly a world centre of excellence for all matters relating to the thoroughbred horse and nowhere is this more evident than in the area of education with a wide variety of courses on offer at certificate and degree level.
In addition the Irish National Stud Thoroughbred Breeding Course aims to educate young people for a career in the breeding industry and the course of 2011 brought together 22 students from 11 countries such as Norway, Korea and Japan.
The Darley Flying Start Programme is an International management training scholarship and graduates from that programme are employed in Dubai, Brazil and South Africa.
The Racing Academy and Centre of Education (R.A.C.E.) also trains students, from Ireland and across the globe, to take up positions as jockeys, stable staff and work riders. Irish expertise can be found in thoroughbred enterprises across the globe.The future
I want to stress the importance my Government attaches to this industry, one in which we excel. It is in this context that my colleague, Mr Simon Coveney, TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine decided to commission an external review of certain aspects of the horse racing industry. This was done with a view to determining what, if any, changes are required to the infrastructure and funding mechanism underpinning the industry to ensure it is well positioned to meet the challenges that lie ahead.Conclusion
The Government recognises horse breeding as an indigenous Irish industry that is spread throughout the country and operating in a premium global market. It is precisely the kind of industry which Ireland needs to sustain and develop as part of our economic recovery.
I wish to conclude by thanking the organisers of EXPO 2012 for your kind invitation here today and wish you continued success in the future.