James Thomas speaks to key industry figures ahead of the breeding season

Irish trainer Ado McGuiness says Brexit has caused more problems for Irish horseracing than COVID.

It has been another gloomy week on the sunlit uplands of sovereign Britain, as a senior minister accused the EU of seeking “petty revenge” – and then hinted that the government might ban imports of European mineral water and seed potatoes.

It is the third successive year that the SemaLease Camphire International Horse Trials and Country Fair has been cancelled.

Increased costs and administrative hurdles are stifling the movement of horses and livestock in what were once thriving industries.

Members of Northern Ireland's equine industry protested at Belfast docks on Thursday night over what they described as "a continuing Irish Sea border".

If an agreement is not found, Northern Ireland faces potentially losing access to an estimated 51% of veterinary medicines, including vaccines for zoonotic diseases such as salmonella and leptospirosis, as well as insulin for dogs and cats and flu and tetanus vaccines for horses.

"The equine business is being killed by Brexit,” Olympic gold medal-winning rider Nick Skelton told me last week. “It’s been catastrophic as far as the movement of horses to and from Europe is concerned.”

Horse racing and breeding in the UK is being hit by rules over exports brought about by the exit from the European Union, industry figures have warned.

A show jumping trainer has said that Brexit has stopped her taking horses to Europe to compete in events.

The UK Government’s lack of urgency in addressing “glaring holes” in its post-Brexit provisions for agri-food and livestock trade could cause businesses to close, according to a report published today.

Local council and MP add to calls for more funding for vital inspection post, without which UK’s livestock breeding industry may be at risk

"People don't realise what I do for a business. They just think I'm a trainer travelling an owner's horses around"