This week (9th - 17th September) marks National Racehorse week, in which training yards, studs and aftercare centres around the country are opening to the public as a celebration of racehorses and to demonstrate the care they receive.
The annual economic impact of horseracing is estimated at £4.1 billion in direct, indirect and associated spending, much of which benefits rural areas, with over 20,000 people directly employed by racecourses.
In the past year, racing has come under assault from forceful protests by animal rights extremists. The Countryside Alliance is concerned about the impact of increasingly militant protests by animal rights extremists on the sector, as on others. The illegal disruption of lawful activity must not be tolerated.
Pending reforms to gambling legislation, including the introduction of affordability checks, must be implemented in a way that avoids having a disproportionate impact to negligible benefit.
The Countryside Alliance supports the sport of racing on the basis of its economic and cultural contribution to rural communities and the UK as a whole.
We are concerned about the impact of increasingly militant protests by animal rights extremists on the sector, as on others. Protesters are free to take whatever views they wish and to express them in the public realm according to democratic norms, but the illegal disruption of lawful activity must not be tolerated.
In reforming gambling legislation it is important for the Government to listen to the sector and avoids disproportionately impacting the sector to negligible benefit.