The Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) has contacted gardaí over allegations a microchip was fraudulently put in a horse before it was sent to slaughter.
he move follows a BBC Panorama documentary which claimed a microchip belonging to the horse Tammy’s Hill, who died in 2014, was found in another horse some years later.
It was suggested this was done because the horse sent for slaughter was not suitable for human consumption but Tammy’s Hill did have the necessary documentation to be sold for meat.
The HRI also said it supported calls for an investigation into the practices in F Drury & Sons abattoir in England which were also exposed in the programme.
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In a statement, the horse racing body said they have reported “aspects of Monday’s BBC Panorama documentary concerning the horse Tammys Hill to An Garda Síochána and has sought the assistance of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in respect of allegations in the programme regarding the transport of horses from Ireland to Swindon in 2019 / 2020”.
The statement followed discussions between the HRI, the Department of Agriculture, the Irish Horse Racing Regulatory Board, the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association and the British Horseracing Authority.
HRI chief executive, Brian Kavanagh, said the images shown in the BBC investigation were “abhorrent to all within Irish racing and in no way reflect the care and attention given to the overwhelming majority of horses in Ireland”.
“Our people and our horses are our greatest strength, and it was sickening to see the fate which befell some horses on last night’s programme,” he said.
“We support the British Horseracing Authority’s calls for an investigation into whether there has been a departure from approved UK abattoir practices at Drury and Sons and will support such an investigation in any way we can. Likewise, we will work with the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine in relation to transport arrangements for horses between Ireland and England,” he added.
HRI’s director of equine and welfare, John Osborne, said the care of horses “is at the centre of everything” his organisations does.
“Ireland is home to 2,500 thoroughbred farms on which live over 30,000 thoroughbreds.
"Whether at the top level of creating a vibrant industry in which so many thousands of people devote their lives down to the last detail of improving the day-to-day routine for the horses, the horse is ensured the highest standards of care.
"Everyone in the industry knows that nothing less than the best will do.”
This article was amended on July 20, 2021