Innoequine Newsletter 3.7.2013/ III InnoEquine is an EU-funded project (Central Baltic Interreg IV A programme 2007- 2013) being carried out in collaboration by MTT Agrifood Research in Finland (project manager), Helsinki University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and Latvia University of Agriculture (LUA). Equine industries are currently one of the few growing rural industries. The number of horses, businesses and riders has quickly grown in many European countries and the outlook for equine industries is promising. The purpose of this project is to create a basis for cross-border networking between those involved in the equine sector and to promote the competitiveness of equine sector in the Central Baltic area*. * Central Baltic areas: Finland: Uusimaa, Varsinais-Suomi and South-West Häme Estonia: Saaremaa and Northern Estonia Latvia: Kurzeme, Riga, Zemgale Sweden: Gotland, Gävleborg, Östergötland, Stockholm and Uppsala in Södermanland For further information regarding the equine sector in the participating countries: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) - www.slu.se/innoequine MTT Agrifood Research Finland - www.mtt.fi/innoequine Latvia University of Agriculture (LUA) - http://www.llu.lv/szf?ri=7454 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) is one of four project members in the EU- financed project: Sustainable equine industries promoting economically competitive and innovative regions (InnoEquine). The practical implementation of the project is taking place by means of five work packages (WP´s) of which SLU is responsible for one of these. The goal of one the WP, Equine Baseline, which SLU was responsible for, was to present and describe the current status of the equine sector in the Central Baltic programme area and provide information needed for the other work packages. A report, Current Status of the Equine Sector in the Central Baltic Region (Finland, Latvia and Sweden), was elaborated in collaboration with the Finnish Latvian and Swedish partners. Information for the report was gathered by each partner through literature reviews, round table discussions and interviews with equine organisations and stakeholders, and through visits to farms with equine business activities. The collected information was intended to cover basic descriptions and characteristics of the equine sector, including statistics on number of horses, horse farms, employment, current structure and recent dynamics in the sector, mobility within the region, identification of gaps and other relevant information essential for the project. The main findings presented in the report were: The equine sector in the Central Baltic Area: Finland The horse population is steadily growing and in Finland there were approximately 75 000 horses in 2010. The horses are mostly warm-blooded trotting horses – but riding horses are becoming increasingly popular as riding as a hobby increases in popularity. Approximately 35 000 people own at least one horse and co-ownership is becoming a common way. Finland has about 16 000 stables, of which over 3 000 are business orientated. These numbers are still only estimates, because Finland is lacking a comprehensive register of stables and stable enterprises. © Maija Järvinen Latvia Statistical data on the number of horses, breeds, herds, stables are available, however, still there is a lack of statistical data that characterise the sector in relation to number of people working with horses, financial results, and characterise horse used for tourism or therapy purposes. This is perhaps related to the perception of the sector as being located within the context of horse breeding. In general, the number of horses has decreased, from 15 250 in 2005 to 11 476 in 2012 – the current trends indicate further decrease. More than 84% of all farms have 1 to 5 horses, and only a few farms have more than 100 horses. © Heljä Marjamäki Sweden The number of horses in Sweden decreased in the 1920s from 700 000 to 70 000 in the 1970s. During the past 30 years the number of horses has increased tremendously, but the trend seems to be stagnated the last few years. Today Sweden has approximately 362 700 horses and about 20% of the horses are within business establishments. Sweden is now estimated to have the second highest density of horses per capita in Europe. There is approximately 77 800 establishments involving horses in Sweden. The equine businesses have on average 4.7 horses and provide full-time or part-time work for a total of 25 000 people. About two-thirds of those working with horses are women. © Christina Lunner Kolstrup In general - the legislations in the three countries differ regarding several aspects. In Finland the environmental legislation is one of the broadest judicial systems in Finland. It consists of a number of different laws and regulations, relating to waste disposal, water protection, environmental protection, land use and construction. After EU membership, the environmental legislation in Finland was harmonised with EC (European Community) legislation, especially in the case of environmental protection and conservation. The legislation is more detailed and regulated compared to the Swedish legislation. One major difference is the definition of manure as a waste in Finland and as a consequence it is not allowed to burned horse manure – which is allowed to a certain degree in Sweden. According to the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture, the policy of the horse breeding sector in Latvia is based on horse breeding performed according to the targets stated in the breeding programme. The importance of the development of horses and equestrian sports within the framework of the common agricultural policy is emphasised in order to encourage development of the rural environment. Horse breeding is compliant with welfare regulations. However, currently there are no specific regulations in Latvia which define requirements for keeping horses. Horse breeding is not distinguished separately within the field of animal welfare in Latvia, so the main document is the Animal Protection Law. Latvia lacks the basis of normative documents regulating personal safety in the horse breeding sector and in businesses related to horse use. Therefore the common normative basis has to be considered, the foundation of which is the ´Labour Protection Law´. In Sweden the foundation of environmental legislation is the Swedish Environmental Code. The purpose is to promote sustainable development which will assure a healthy and sound environment for present and future generations. The Code is a legislative framework based on a number of fundamental principles permeating international environmental protection and resource management. These include the "precautionary" principle, the "polluter pays" principle. The main environmental legislation in Sweden concerning the horse sector consists of a number of laws, directives, ordinances and regulations. In general, occupational safety and health issues are regulated in the Work Environmental Act (SFS 1977:1160), in the Work Environmental Ordinance (SFS 1977:1166) and in several provisions. There is no specific legislation regarding occupational health and safety in the horse sector, however, these issues are included in the provision Working with animals (SFS 2008:17). Round table discussions with equine stakeholders in the three countries. In Finland, the participants hoped for concrete solutions and examples of low-cost and easy help for everyday businesses. Entrepreneurs with lower profitability need more support, but the challenge is to get them involved in education or advisory events. The riding sector is much divided - some businesses having many customers and others who are on the edge of bankruptcy. To help the small and medium-sized enterprises the project should produce advice that can be used in practice such as concrete results and solutions. The problem with small and medium-sized businesses is that they lack capital to invest in new technologies or large-scale facilities. The sector is characterized by low profitability and competitiveness but small changes in operations might improve these. Many business owners are lacking business skills and they may not see what they could use as a competitive advantage. In Latvia, the current understanding of the equine sector has to be reconsidered or a better understanding has to be created. The policy guidelines and the aid to the sector will have to be reviewed e.g. according to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia, the equine sector only concerns breeding. The Latvian Horse Breeding Association also considers breeding to be its priority. Representatives of the tourism industry believe that special attention should be shown to the Latvian horse breed, which could be interesting for foreign and local tourists and also for therapeutic riding purposes. The equine sector lacks a clear direction for orientation, what should be bred, what might be a profitable product or an exportable product. People working in the sector often lack skills in project preparation, they do not have time to learn and study, and therefore it is difficult to apply for and to receive the different funds and aid. Usual practice to solve this is to involve companies that prepare the project application. In Sweden, the horse sector on a downward trend. The horse businesses need to streamline their business ideas, look for better locations (closer to customers)