More than 500 people gathered at Saint-Cloud racecourse on Wednesday morning on a non-racing day to hear four candidates, or representatives of candidates, in the French presidential race share their thoughts on the horse industry. Organised by France Galop, LeTROT and the French Equestrian Federation, the meeting lasted for more than three hours.
Edouard Ferrand, representing the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, Republican candidate François Fillon, Jean Arthuis, representing centre-left hot favourite Emmanuel Macron, and Debout la France right-wing candidate Nicolas Dupont-Aignan each gave a 20-minute address before answering pre-selected question about VAT, the countryside, France's gaming policy and various issues related to the horse industry as a whole. Both France Galop president Edouard de Rothschild and his LeTROT counterpart Dominique de Bellaigue attended, along with many stakeholders, breeders, owners from the racing and trotting world alike.
Every speaker in his own way defended a return to a reduced VAT rate (5.5% or 10%, rather than the 20% enforced by an ECJ judgment three years ago) for the horse industry. Some have also called for the creation of a unique representation of the whole equine industry to the state, but also a fair gaming policy in France, each speaker recognizing the fundamental role of the horse in country life, and its status as a national asset worth fighting for.
The first round for the French presidential election is scheduled for April 23.
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