€700,000school puts farriers on firm footing

THE horse industry, which employs 40,000 people and is worth an estimated €1.2 billion to the economy, is to be put on a firm footing.

A €700,000 school has been developed to train farriers at the Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE) in Kildare, which has a stand at the Dublin Horse Show.

There has been a shortage of farriers to shoe the thousands of both thoroughbred and sport horses in the country, due in part to the absence of formal farrier training since the demise of the old Bord na gCapall in 1987. This is despite an increase in the demand for farriery services in the same period.

The Irish Master Farrier's Association and RACE, brought a joint proposal for the establishment of a farriery school to the Department of Agriculture and Food and received departmental approval. The move was spearheaded by then director of RACE, Derek O'Sullivan who died last year.

Agriculture and Food Minister Joe Walsh said the farriery course at RACE would be ratified by the Irish Farriery Authority.

The authority was working with the school to produce a system which will train future farriers to a European standard.

It will also allow existing farriers or apprentices train in new developments through short courses or seminars. The farriery apprenticeship at RACE will last for four years with students getting their initial training at the school and then moving out with master farriers.

Mr Walsh said that the school is an essential part of the RACE complex which has also received €1.6m in Department of Agriculture and Food funding. "Farriery has been identified as an important support service for the horse industry. The availability of quality farriery is seen as critical to the production of marketable quality horses," he said.

The widespread availability of the floury spud, the British Queen, was also hailed yesterday. It accounts for 11% of total potato production in Ireland and is worth €9m at farmgate level.

Figures released by Bord Glas at the show indicate that retail sales of potatoes increased by 5% in the last year with consumers spending €161m.