LONGFORD TD, Joe Flaherty, has sharply criticised Horse Sport Ireland (HSI)over it’s passport delivery service.

Mr Flaherty this week advised the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr Charlie McConalogue TD, that he will be presenting him with details of the experiences of as many as 30 owners and breeders facing ‘unreasonable’ delays in the delivery of passports.

“The failings are completely undermining the service; have severely rattled confidence amongst breeders and producers and call into question yet again the effectiveness of HSI,” he said.

HSI appeared before an Oireachtas committee last November to address the issue, making assurances there would be ramping-up of the delivery of passports.

Failings

Deputy Flaherty continued: “I have been consistently critical of HSI and its failings. I have called on the Minister to revert to the previous means of appointing directors to the board in order to ensure greater sector buy-in and accountability. Confidence in the sector is suffering and I am worried that DAFM is not sufficiently aware of the scale of the crisis when it comes to passports.”

He continued: “2023 was a tough year for foal producers. Several deals fell through, as they awaited passports and, if 2024 is a repeat, then several well-intended and passionate producers will exit the sector.”

Mr Flaherty gave the following examples of some of the cases cases he has handed over to the Minister:

  • Owner waiting nine months on two passports
  • Owner submitted passport and details for new owner and foal registration. Nearly four months on and the passport is lost. Horse sold to US, but cannot compete without passport
  • Owner sold foal seven months ago, paid for passport, but still not paid for foal without passport
  • Seven-month delay and foreign sale fell through in absence of passport
  • One of the country’s leading producers has sold seven foals, but is six months plus awaiting passports. Additional costs for bedding and vets etc in region of €10,000.
  • Owner now facing into their ninth month waiting and frustrated at loss of sale as foal and depressed market for yearlings.
  • Owner explains it is illegal for them to travel with a foal without passport, but has to attend vet in Munster. Has provided three DNA samples and still awaiting passport
  • Owner sold four foals, but still awaiting payment, as no passports
  • Foal sold to England, but cannot travel without a passport
  • Foal was sold to the US, but can’t go without a passport. Owner waiting over seven months to ship the foal
  • Owner waiting over six months for passport. A second covering certificate was provided, but then the original certificate was found

    • Response

    In response, HSI CEO Denis Duggan (pictured) said: “This matter was discussed at the Joint Oireachtas Committee in November and HSI provided a commitment that it would issue 2,000 additional passports before Christmas. We exceeded this target and a total of 2,699 passports were issued from mid-November, when the hearing took place, until Christmas.

    “As of this week, we have posted passports for 4,122 foals, which is 68% of the 6,049 foals registered for 2023. We will post a further 786 passports within the next two weeks, bringing the total issued to 81%.

    “The remaining 1,141 applications (19% of the total) cannot yet be issued, as either covering certificates, or an appropriate DNA sample, have not been submitted to HSI, or because DNA results have not yet returned from testing. HSI is working with breeders and third-party providers to progress these passports as quickly as possible, however the timeline for this cohort of applications is not within HSI’s control.

    “The pressure on the overall system as a result of the transition was significantly compounded by the timing of passport applications last year. While 87% (5,255) of foals were born in April, May, and June, 64% of foal applications (3,859) were received between October and year-end. That meant that on average, breeders waited 134 days after the birth of a foal to submit a passport application.

    “We appreciate and understand breeders’ frustration in relation to this issue, and they can be assured that we are doing everything in our power to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.

    “It is impossible for HSI to comment on the specific cases raised by Deputy Flaherty, as he did not provide sufficient detail to do so. If the Deputy can pass on further information to HSI, we can investigate each of the cases in question.”

    Passport delay experiences from our readers:

    HSI take far too long every year. It takes months to get passports back. I sent in two applications in October. The cheque is cashed, but no passports. I have sent everything they require. They are not even replying to emails now. This new requirement of hair samples, supposedly to improve the database, is ludicrous. What happens if the stallion is deceased and the foal was conceived through AI?

    In that case, you have to pay extra to register the foal, however the extra money does not improve the database. Is this just a way to get more money from the breeders?

    I have bred foals by stallions based in the UK and it was a nightmare when it came to registering them. Every time I sent more details to HSI, they asked for something else. Several times they looked for information that I had already sent to them. They asked me for a covering cert (which they had) three times.

    On one occasion, I had to contact the CEO of HSI and the Minister for Agriculture. I received the passport within days of doing so. I cannot understand why the Department of Agriculture is allowing these delays and issues to continue, year after year.

    I register foals with Weatherbys each year and I do not encounter any problems. I pay the stud fee, the stud sends on the covering cert, I register the foal online and pay the fee and the passport is issued in a reasonable timeframe.

    Peter Byrne, Co Meath

    I’ve been waiting over four years for a passport for a foal, now horse. I paid the full fee in the offices of HSI and enquired from the staff member at the time was all in order, to which I was assured it was. I paid the full fee requested and expected my passport in due course. Two days later a letter came in the post requesting full payment for the passport before it could be issued. I queried why I was being asked to pay twice for that passport, to which I got no response. I queried it again a week or two later, no response. When pressed on the passport’s delay, I was told that there was no Equine Premises Number on it, so I rang one in the next day. Waited a while, still no passport. Pressed and pressed again for that passport and was ran from Billy to Jack and back again, still no passport. Eventually, the sale fell through because of the delays. The biggest problem when you have a dispute with Horse Sport Ireland is the only people that can resolve that dispute is Horse Sport Ireland.

    Effectively, those that are abusing their powers are going to be in charge of resolving the problem! If they were capable of being fair and transparent in the first place, that foal would be in America now! No other body can intervene, not the Ombudsman, not the Guards, not the Minister. I’ve been through them all, to no avail.

    John Doyle, Co Kilkenny