If the future of the Kerrygold Dublin Horse Show is linked to the fortunes of the Irish dairy industry, then both are assured for years to come. Yesterday, at the opening day of the event in the RDS, Dr Noel Cawley, managing director of the Irish Dairy Board, which is the main sponsor, predicted a calm future on both fronts.
While the board, which has sponsored the event for the past 11 years, reviews that sponsorship annually, Dr Cawley made it clear he would like the marriage to continue.
"It is an unusual sponsorship because it has lasted so long, but it has been very good for both the board and, I think, for the Horse Show," he said.
He said the board, which owns the State's only internationally branded food product, Kerrygold, had spent about £4 million on the event over the past 11 years.
"It has been very good in helping us sell our product abroad because this is one of the best-known horse shows in the world and is a quality event. We are selling a quality product, and it works," he said.
Dr Cawley said sales of Kerrygold had been steadily and quietly growing over the years, not at a dramatic rate but at about 6 per cent annually.
The link with the show meant the brand name will be seen on a global basis on television screens. Coverage of the show will reach 200 million television viewers, he said.
This was important because Kerrygold is sold in 80 countries and last year sales of the branded product reached almost £400 million. Total sales worldwide were £1.3 billion.
Dr Cawley predicted that the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in Agenda 2000 meant that the dairy industry was facing a period of stability for the next three to seven years.
Few industries, he said, had such assurances and this stability would be good for the dairy farmers and the dairy industry.
Dr Cawley, who is also a horse breeder and chairman of the Irish Horse Board, said the quality of the Irish sport horse was improving but we still had a distance to go.
"There are a good few buyers in here from abroad looking at Irish horses and there are good horses to be seen," he said.
He referred to the Irish stallion Cruising, which was placed second in the world, and said he hoped successes would be built on his progeny. Some horses bred from him were already winning.
He said he would like to see a greater focus by breeders on producing either sports or eventing horses, but that, overall, the programmes begun by the Horse Board were beginning to bear fruit.
The rain held off for most of the opening day, which saw a large attendance.
The event was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Ms Mary Freehill, who arrived in the Lord Mayor's coach which was drawn by four horses.
She praised the work of the Royal Dublin Society and said that without it, there would be no Botanic Gardens, no College of Art and Design and no Veterinary College.
She said the National Library, Art Gallery and Museum could all trace their lineage to the RDS of the 19th century and it had led the way in offering full membership to women in a city where they were excluded from other societies, clubs and even the city council.
The grounds will be taken over today by women who will be competing for the prizes in the reinstated Ladies' Day.