The European Horse Network (EHN), with support from Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders' Associations (EFTBA), will host the European Equine Conference at the Irish National Stud, a gathering that matters to institute professionals as EU proposals under the Irish Presidency directly affect breeding and welfare compliance costs. The conference will cover the Welfare Transport regulation, the future CAP, findings from the European Equine Statistical Study 2026, and Ireland's digital traceability system.

EHN is a Belgium based non-profit network of more than 28 equine sector organisations across Europe, coordinating advocacy at EU level.

EFTBA is the trade association representing European thoroughbred breeders' associations, engaging directly with EU institutions on welfare and transport legislation.

HRI is the semi-state body responsible for developing Ireland's horse racing industry.

The conference follows a concrete lobbying win rather than opening a new campaign from scratch.

After four years of lobbying, EFTBA secured revised wording in the EU's draft Welfare in Transport Regulation in July 2026, exempting registered purebred breeding horses from mandatory stay periods, journey logs and journey time limits, according to Thoroughbred Daily News. The regulation remains before the European Parliament and Council, meaning the file is not yet closed.

For the sector, holding this conference during Ireland's EU Council Presidency lets the Irish breeding and racing industry press remaining points, including CAP's post-2027 shape, while it still holds direct influence over the EU legislative calendar. For the sector's breeders specifically, the exemption already secured demonstrates that sustained, technically grounded lobbying can shift welfare rules that initially threatened significant new administrative burden.

Bringing MEPs, government representatives and equine sector stakeholders together at the Irish National Stud, rather than in Brussels, also signals confidence in showcasing Ireland's breeding infrastructure directly to the officials shaping the rules that govern it.

Whether the CAP and remaining welfare transport provisions move further in the sector's favour before Ireland's presidency ends will determine how much this timing advantage actually delivers.

Source: Thoroughbred Daily News