Centralised sustainability fund called for to support British horseracing’s future

A new report has called for centralised funding to further research sustainability schemes for the British horseracing industry as the sport’s environmental impact is laid bare.

In the report commissioned by the Racing Foundation and conducted by White Griffin, several key areas were explored, including carbon emissions, water availability, the impact of extreme weather and waste disposal.

One key environmental challenge to horseracing’s sustainability is the use of fossil fuels, which the industry relies heavily on for energy and transportation.

There are around 1,500 race meetings a year, and a jockey, on average, will rack up 40,000 miles annually, mainly via road travel.

Additionally, 43% of venues admitted they used fossil fuels as a key power supply, including the use of farm and maintenance machinery, with the current rising cost of energy having hit them hard already.

One respondent said that in 2021, their energy bill rose by £2.5m.

The report recommended installing renewable energy sources such as solar panels, which 16 of the respondents have already installed, to eliminate the reliance on fossil fuels.

To compensate for the reliance on road travel, sites have also installed electric vehicle charging points, which was a further recommendation by White Griffin.

The report also noted that horseracing produces a variety of waste and certain types of industry-specific waste are harder to recycle or reuse. This includes the estimated 160 miles of white plastic running rails, which after 15 years, are scrapped and can’t be recycled.

The report recommended that more racecourses need to introduce reusable plastic cup schemes, with 16 venues currently using reusable cups.

The report also examined the effects of extreme weather on the industry. It was found that between 2017 and 2019, 91 meetings were abandoned due to a waterlogged track, with a further 14 cancelled due to firm ground. It was recommended that an artificial surface could alleviate these issues.

To combat these issues further, the report said that further research should be done to assess water usage and how best to make this more sustainable. In addition, those reliant on mains water should be identified, and further support should be given to them to increase sustainability.

The report outlined several key steps for the industry to ensure a sustainable future, with the headline measure of a centralised funding scheme.

The funding would be used to support research, audits and pilot schemes which should be fully-costed with long-term plans to ensure the viability of the industry.

It was also recommended that the industry comes together and collaborate on a communication and engagement strategy and for the industry to utilise workshops and create shared learning tools to understand the common challenges and potential solutions.

The report also highlighted the potential to establish a leadership culture throughout the industry and embed ESG thinking into every strategy.

On the report’s findings, Brant Dunshea, BHA chief regulatory officer and project executive sponsor, said: “Racing and breeding’s close relationship with our environment makes us particularly susceptible to the effects of a changing climate.

“This research gives us a much better understanding of the key challenges we face and provides a useful starting point for industry leaders to think about how environmental considerations are factored into British racing’s strategic planning,” he added.

Rob Hezel, chief executive of the Racing Foundation, added: “The Racing Foundation saw this work as essential for the industry and its leaders to learn about where it is now and to understand the risks and opportunities it faces in the future with environmental sustainability issues.

These recommendations may be utilised by the new BHA director of strategy and change, Alison Enticknap. Enticknap was appointed into the newly created role at the beginning of the month.

Enticknap heads up the newly created strategy and change department and will look at this report closely to influence its strategy.