THE Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue, labelled the delays breeders are enduring to get a passport for their sport horses as “unacceptable”.

At a conference hosted by the Irish Farmers Association at the Curragh on Thursday, Co Kilkenny sport horse breeder Eamon Sheehan questioned the Minister for Agriculture about the ongoing passports saga.

Sheehan, a dairy farmer and sport horse breeder, who bred the double gold medal-winning pony Cuffesgrange Cavilidam and the Lanaken gold medal-winning Cuffesgrange Cavadora, said: “I want to bring to your attention the complete failing of Horse Sport Ireland, over the last number of years. It’s let down hundreds of its members and it’s not due to lack of funding. They are showing complete incompetence and disregard for breeders.

“It has taken me over five years to receive a passport for a horse who went out jumping this year. We are waiting hours on the phone to make contact, never getting the same person. There are 7,500 passports to be issued every year. To put it in context, 750,000 calves were registered through DNA last year and the turnaround was a week. The majority of breeders are waiting from up to six months to a year for the return of a passport.”

In his response, the Minister said: “It is unacceptable, the situation should not be happening, in terms of the length of time it’s taking. It is something I have taken up with Horse Sport Ireland, they have assured me that they are working to get on top of it. That is a service that farmers are entitled to have efficiently and effectively.”

Scheme

The Minister announced the launch of the Equine Technical Support and Equine Breeding Scheme 2025. The scheme supports the development of the native equine industry through targeted investment under three headings: General Programme; Training/Education Programme; and Research into Equine Diseases Programme. Applicants must comply with the specific T&Cs of each programme and projects must be completed and reported on in late 2025. The closing date is 5pm on December 16th. Further details are available on the Department’s website under ‘Equine Support Scheme’.