EPMA Marketing Managers met in Paris on 30^th January to discuss best practices to attract new customers: new TV commercials to create a positive and young image, promotion of big winners, marketing campaigns outside POS (stadium, shopping mall).

Success for the second MEP Horse Group meeting in the European Parliament on 25th January 2012. It was standing room only for some at the meeting which attracted a large attendance from not only Parliamentarians, but European Commission representatives, members of Permanent Representations and European equine organisations.The meeting focused on what the current Common Agricultural Policy proposals published by the European Commission might mean for the horse sector.

Julie Girling opened the meeting by talking about her own constituency in the South West of England. “I am a horse rider myself” she said, “so you might think I will be a little bit biased. But as I regularly travel round my constituency visiting farms and rural businesses, I see that horses are really important to the rural economy here in the South West.” She added, “Of course, it is right that a major part of the debate on CAP reform is how to ensure sustainable food production in Europe. These proposals, however, also place a much bigger emphasis than ever before on how to support rural employment and rural development. In this the horse sector has a huge role to play, not forgetting that horses contribute directly to farm incomes in every single country in the EU.”

> Read MEP Horse Group meeting full Report

> Read EHN position on CAP Reform