Plant ‘could jeopardise Tipp horse industry’

A LEADING economist has warned that “uncertainty” over the possible development of an animal byproducts processing plant in south Tipperary could prompt racehorse owners to move their horses away from the Coolmore-owned Ballydoyle facility.

Colm McCarthy of UCD school of economics told a planning hearing yesterday approval for a proposed byproducts development may jeopardise the future of horse training and breeding in south Tipperary, with consequences for local employment and the local economy.

Mr McCarthy was giving evidence to the oral hearing being held by An Bord Pleanála into an application by Green Organics Energy (GOE) Ltd, which has plans to build a bioenergy and biodiesel plant at a site in Castleblake, Rosegreen, halfway between Clonmel and Cashel.

Thirty of the 85 stud farms located in south Tipperary are within 5km of Rosegreen, with 59 within 10km, Mr McCarthy said, while Ballydoyle and Coolmore have an Irish payroll worth €21.2 million and a further local spend of €13m.

He said that the proposed development at Rosegreen, irrespective of its actual impact on the environment, “increases the level of uncertainty facing racehorse trainers and bloodstock breeders in the immediately surrounding area”.

The founder of DKM Economic Consultants said Ireland is the third-largest producer of thoroughbred foals, after the US and Australia, and accounts for 42% of the foals born in Europe.

“It has attained international success without any support from EU farm product subsidies.”

The removal of the training establishment at Ballydoyle to another part of the country, or a decrease in the number and quality of the horses in training at Ballydoyle, would cause a fall in direct employment, reduce local spending, and undermine the integrated business of Ballydoyle/Coolmore.

“In so doing, it would threaten the cohesiveness of one of the few natural resource-based indigenous industries that has gained a position of international leadership in high value-added segments of global markets.”

Transport planning consultant John Daly said the road leading to the proposed plant’s site at Castleblake is “not of the required standard” to cater for the amount of heavy goods vehicles which would be using it, and the development would “give rise to significant traffic hazard and endanger public safety”.

Planning consultant Lars Baadstorp gave evidence in relation to the process GOE proposes to use at the plant, if it gets the go-ahead, and said it was “totally unproven” with “a significant risk” that it would not work using the animal byproducts.