THE Equine Farming Taskforce has highlighted the importance of equine farming in a comprehensive submission made to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under the public consultation process for Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
The submission aims to “highlight the major roles that equine farming can play in achieving the CAP 2023 objectives, and demonstrate the need for significantly increased support of the equine sector.”
Michael Doherty, who made the submission alongside Patrick Hester, on behalf of the Taskforce, said: “Our primary aim with this submission is to ensure that equine receives favourable inclusion in any revised TAMS schemes and the new version of the Knowledge Transfer programme, and more in line with the significant contribution that we all know the equine sector contributes to Ireland’s economy.
“We also wish to raise the awareness of equine farming, inside and outside DAFM, and highlight the lack of equine support available in the past CAP programme.”
The other members of the taskforce are Mark Hester, Noel Kilroy, John Murphy, Joseph O’Brien, the Mayo Roscommon Breeders’ Group and Irish Horse Centre.
The 10-page submission raises the issues of supports for young farmers, farm safety, biodiversity, animal welfare, and education within the €816 million sport horse industry.
The submission says: “Equine farming is extremely complementary to, and in line with, the nine specific objectives outlined in the report ‘Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 – Public Consultation on Proposed Interventions’.”
Equine Green Cert
A recommendation is made for an equine Green Cert to be introduced in order to attract and retain young farmers in the industry. Other supports recommended for young farmers/breeders include assisting with redeveloping existing farm infrastructure in order to diversify their farm enterprise, under the CAP objective of ‘attract and sustain young farmers and other new farmers and facilitate sustainable business development in rural areas.’
The inclusion of equine in the 2016-2019 Knowledge Transfer programme was considered a huge success within the industry, the submission states, and its inclusion in CAP 2023 is strongly supported. Some tweaks proposed for the programme include allowing farmers who operate in a number of sectors participate in more than one KT programme.
There is also a recommendation for the implementation of an Equine Welfare scheme, with similarities to the Sheep Welfare Scheme and the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme.
Biodiversity
In terms of biodiversity, the submission proposes that policy makers include an equine environmental scheme in pillar 1 of the new CAP. “It has become clear that the environmental footprint of agriculture must be reduced. Equine farmers could have an important role in addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis,” reads the submission.
“Equines have many environmental advantages, but the fragmentation of the sector and the lack of synthetic knowledge about their environmental impacts have excluded their inclusion in the CAP.”
It adds that Teagasc researchers have reviewed greenhouse gas emissions of equines and estimated the contribution of horses is negligible (0.4%).
In conclusion, the submission states that the contribution of the equine sector to the Irish economy has not been rewarded in past policies and should be rectified.
“It is our understanding that transitional funding is available until CAP 2023 commences, and therefore we wish to recommend that the suite of equine specific measures for facilities, fencing and equipment be activated and made available as part of that funding.”