Like all jurisdictions across Australia, we need to sustain and grow the number of mares bred especially considering how low our foaling numbers have got in the past five years or so.
Below are numbers from last two seasons and the Southern Cross renewal numbers.
FOALS BORN IN SA
18/19 129
19/20 132
SOUTHERN CROSS – RENEWALS
19/20 2YO 195
3YO 150
2021 2YO 193
3YO 185
Incentives are needed to encourage breeders to breed that extra mare. HRSA needs to look at helping all breeders with the ever-rising costs to breed.
Maybe they should look at Tasmania’s incentive where a breeder gets $2000 reimbursement when the foal is registered. The mare must foal down in Tassie, I can here the screams now from their Gawler office “we just don’t have the money” that may be so but surely the economic and employment benefits are something the Government with an election due next month would jump at funding over a 3 year deal
The ever-rising costs of breeding are killing breeders. For example, agistment fees are on the rise, the cost of AI is anything from $800 upwards, not to mention service fees.
And then if you’re lucky enough to get a live foal then it’s 2 to 3 years away from getting to the track if they can run. Unfortunately, just on 50% of foals born ever make the races.
We are lucky to access to some of the best bloodlines in the world, but HRA is hell bent on increasing a tax on stallions to fund their “pie in the sky” SLOTS RACE.
Rumours have it that HRA is looking to tax colonial stallions as well as shuttle stallions and if my information is correct, up to 20% tax on frozen semen which would kill off the trotting industry which relies on frozen semen out of Europe.
Come on HRSA and the government, it’s time to support the breeder in this state.
