By Emma Berry
Following details released at its AGM in July, the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) has renewed calls for a racehorse owners' premium scheme to reward British-bred horses, a step it feels is urgently required to halt the decline in the number of small breeders.
The TBA revealed the findings of its second Economic Impact Study (EIS) in four years at a meeting in London on Tuesday. Among the results to have struck a warning note with the association is the fact that 66% of breeders surveyed in 2017 were found to be operating at a loss. That figure is up from 45% in 2013 and since that time 353 British breeders (8%) have left the industry. Notably, there has been a 5% drop in the small-breeder sector, which refers to breeders with one or two mares and accounts for a third of the foal crop.
Despite this reduction, the number of broodmares in the country has increased by around 500 to 9,000—in particular the number of Flat mares, which has risen by 8% to 6,866—meaning that the foal crop has also increased, from 4,420 per annum to 4,778 during that time.
The authors of the study, undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers, pointed to a £427 million contribution to the British economy from Thoroughbred breeding, which is responsible for more than 19,000 jobs, and noted, “To safeguard the British Thoroughbred breeding industry and ensure its future sustainability, direct intervention is required to increase the financial returns to breeding. Without it, the current level of supply will not be maintained; Britain will not be able to sustain its racing calendar, and the finances of all racing industry participants will be severely impacted.”
The TBA has promised several proposals to address this issue over the coming months and has reiterated the need for a GB-bred scheme which will build on the existing Plus 10 scheme on the Flat and the National Hunt Mare Owners' Prize Scheme (MOPS) but which will be “wholly focused on British-based criteria”.
A statement released on Tuesday read, “The major element of the proposal is a scale of bonuses for nominated foals out of British-based mares, graduated according to whether they are visiting British-based or overseas stallions. Around 850 races for two- and three-year-olds and a further 150 fillies-only races on the Flat and about 1,900 jump races will carry bonuses, and it is envisaged that substantially higher prizes will be offered than at present.
“The TBA believes there is an urgency about the need for action, and that timing is crucial if the breeding industry is to remain robust and future-proof, especially as the EIS notes that 'Brexit presents a disruptive challenge'.”
Under the current Tripartite Agreement between Britain, Ireland and France, there are more than 27,000 free horse movements between these three countries each year and both the TBA and BHA have made representations to the government of the importance of upholding this agreement after Britain leaves the EU, as currently planned, in March 2019.
With the Tattersalls October Sale set to start in just under a fortnight, the report's findings will be unsettling for those vendors selling in the later part of the sale. To illustrate the polarisation between large and small breeding operations, the TBA highlighted the fact that the average filly sold during Book 1 of the October Sale made an estimated profit of £118,000, but those sold at Book 3 returned on average an estimated loss of £23,500.
The TBA's Chief Executive Claire Sheppard said, “We hope that this report will kick-start industry-wide conversations about the future growth of the sport. Breeders are an essential part of racing's ecosystem, and we need to work together to develop a system that works for industry participants. If we provide a favourable environment for British breeders to operate we will ensure the supply of high health and high-quality bloodstock for British racing's future.”
She added, “We are incredibly thankful for the financial support from the HBLB and Racing Foundation for the Economic Impact Study. The results will assist not just breeders, but the industry as a whole and will help shape the strategy for a more sustainable future for the sport.”
Read the full TBA Economic Impact Study
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
