EFTBA Annual General Meeting Held In Newmarket Earlier This Month

The annual general meeting of the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders' Associations (EFTBA) was held at the John Lambton Rooms of the National Horse Racing Museum in Newmarket on July 12.

The well-attended meeting also welcomed all new EFTBA representatives–Magdalene Donimirska – Wodzicka Poland; Frank Dorff, Germany' Jose Hormaeche Spain; Philip Lybeck Finland; Henrik Villadsen, Denmark; and Pierric Rouxel, France.

Observers included Sarah Carmichael ITBF Secretariat and Victoria Murrell, The TBA. Progress has been made in several areas, including:

• facilitating freedom of movement between EU Member states
• continuing to push for mandatory vaccination policies for the global bloodstock industry
• research on the possible connection between wind surgery and inbreeding
• industry co-operation to sell our industry and way of life to the wider public
• the release of the EFTBA Promotional Video “The Amazing Story of the Thoroughbred“
• a carbon calculator tool project is in development.

Joe Hernon, who was invited to extend his chairmanship of the EFTBA at the AGM said, “Since Ireland last hosted it in 2019, many things have stayed the same; in terms of the desire of European breeders to produce first class thoroughbreds and equally the global demand and interest in European bloodstock, which is being proven time and time again in European auction houses and sales rings. However, we face many challenges in techniques, new methods of operations, which need a lot of consideration in order to maintain the history and standards of our glorious industry.

“Other positive changes include the development and roll out of the digital passport by Weatherbys, which once fully implemented will have a transformative and positive impact on the tracking and tracing of all thoroughbreds. This will aid us in determining the size and wellness of the European herd. EFTBA will continue to combat against the challenges facing breeders. Despite such challenges, it is hard not to take pride in our great industry, which for us all is a wonderful and rewarding way of life. It is in this vein we will continue to be the guardians of the thoroughbred and strive to make it current and acceptable in today's world.”