Celebrant Mary
Bloodstock Industry Forum
Established to improve confidence, transparency, and ethical standards in the buying and selling of thoroughbreds in Britain and Ireland.
The Bloodstock Industry Forum (BIF) was established in September 2019 to improve confidence, transparency, and ethical standards in the buying and selling of thoroughbreds in Britain and Ireland. Its formation was a direct response to a British Horseracing Authority (BHA)-commissioned review that highlighted potential, and in some cases actual, fraudulent and unethical practices by a small minority of industry participants.
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The BIF was formed as a cross-industry group including representatives from sales companies in Ireland and Britain, Breeders’ Associations in Britain and Ireland (TBA and ITBA), the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) and Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), Federation of Bloodstock Agents (FBA), National Trainers Federation (NTF), Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), and Breeze-Up Consignors.
BIF's primary objective was to replace previous, less rigorous, codes of practice with a more robust set of rules. In August 2021, BIF completed the new Bloodstock Industry Code of Practice. This was formally incorporated into the rules of British racing on August 16, 2021, and is included in the catalogues for all sales held at Goffs and Goffs UK, and Tattersalls and Tattersalls Ireland. The code tightened definitions of acceptable ethical behaviour, and addressed dual representation, covering both public auction and private sales.
In May 2024, Leo Powell, former editor of The Irish Field, was appointed as the new Independent Chair of BIF, taking over from Goffs’ Henry Beeby. The first Chair of the group was Jimmy George, then with Tattersalls. The Bloodstock Industry Forum meets regularly to ensure the Code of Practice is followed, and to promote high standards of integrity across the industry.
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A key component of the Code, which distinguishes it from all predecessors, is the provision of free, confidential legal advice to any potential complainant, a service which has been utilised on a number of occasions since the Code’s inception, with several referrals to the BHA.
Terms of Reference are continually reviewed and updated when required to ensure that BIF and the Code remain current and relevant, another aspect of former Codes that was felt to fall short of best practice. A further development was the appointment of independent legal advisors to BIF, with Gareth Jones of Addleshaw Goddard taking on the role and attending all BIF meetings to advise as required. One of his objectives is to introduce further governance enhancements in an effort to continue to improve the effectiveness of BIF and ensure the Code remains perpetually relevant.
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BIF has an ‘E-Learning’ integrity module to assist in the education of buyers and sellers of bloodstock, and is a requirement of membership of the FBA as well as being part of the trainer licencing process.
