The Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board veterinary team comprises racing officials, some of whom are also Authorised Officers (AOs) under Irish legislation, the Veterinary Medicinal Products, Medicated Feed and Fertilisers Regulation Act 2023 and the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. This allows the IHRB to better fulfil its purpose of safeguarding the reputation of Irish horseracing via access to all Thoroughbred horses in Ireland in relation to veterinary medicines, and their welfare.
The training of the AO team, processes followed, and outcomes and successes were presented at the 23rd International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians. The importance of training in the role has since been underscored by cases in which deployment of our responsibilities as AOs has been challenged, both on the ground and by legal professionals. This presentation will outline, explain and exemplify the approaches we have taken to include specialist training from law enforcement agencies and experienced investigators on investigations, interview, evidence gathering and file preparation for prosecution.
One area that has particularly developed is our interaction with veterinary colleagues involved in our cases. Sections of the legislation under which we work enable the seizure of veterinary records and products. As regulatory veterinarians we are consequently entering colleague’s practices and requiring material that relates to cases involving their clients. Recognising that the IHRB does not regulate veterinarians in Ireland, the balance between effective enforcement and collaboration with clinicians is a fine one which can be challenging. Our handling of this to include our interactions between the relevant statutory authorities will be presented alongside a honest appraisal of the costs and benefits of our work to date in this area.