IHA to meet agriculture officials at end of week

The Irish Horseracing Authority (IHA) are set to meet officials from the Department of Agriculture on Thursday or Friday of this…

The Irish Horseracing Authority (IHA) are set to meet officials from the Department of Agriculture on Thursday or Friday of this week to discuss the possibility of resuming racing in Ireland.

The IHA announced plans on March 16th to restart the domestic calendar on Saturday, April 14th at Leopardstown and Cork but the outbreak of foot-and-mouth in Proleek, Co Louth last Thursday has thrown this into doubt.

The IHA will put forward proposals for precautions and protocols that racing could put in place that may help lead to the resumption of activities.

Horseracing is a category 3 risk activity and the Department of Agriculture have not lifted their ban on such events, although other sports such as soccer, rugby and GAA have been given the go-ahead to start again.

READ MORE

"The focus of this meeting will be to discuss the precautions and protocols that the IHA and Turf Club have been working on." said an IHA spokesperson.

"Racing is a category 3 activity and therefore we need to put these proposals to the Department of Agriculture and seek their advice."