New BHA chair warns of 'ethical challenge' facing racing over welfare

New BHA chair Annamarie Phelps has warned that racing faces a "profound ethical challenge" over equine welfare due to changing social attitudes.

She was speaking at the Racehorse Owners Association annual meeting in London on Tuesday as she made her first public speech since taking over as chair of the governing body at the start of June.

In a wide-ranging address, Phelps also said racing should make more of the participation of women within the sport and that now was the time for unity between its factions.

On the issue of welfare, Phelps said digital technology and demographic change were producing a generational change in thinking.

She said: "We need to live in the real world and understand that those coming of age as adults now may have very different views to their parents.

"We can see the impact in people's views on animal welfare, where racing faces a profound ethical challenge.

"We are seeing the rise of the 'social consumer' who really cares about what they buy and that it doesn't harm the planet, or its people or its creatures."

Speaking after delivering her speech and on the wider issue of welfare including the sport's human participants, Phelps added: "The mental health report was quite clear about some of the real challenges within the community but I think we have a huge amount of very caring people who really do want to make sure they are looking after all the participants, so it is not all doom and gloom at all."

Phelps said her previous roles in sports governance at British Rowing, the British Olympic Association and ParalympicsGB meant she could bring an awareness of the competitive environment facing all sports and that her background allowed her to reach out to audiences outside racing's traditional fans.

"I intend to be not only your ambassador but your advocate," she added.

Phelps said racing had a number of "supreme moments" which could reach people outside the sport's normal audience but asked: "How can we make even more of them than we do?"

She said other sports were modernising and introducing new products and pointed to the example of the growth of investment in women's sport.

She added: "Don't get me wrong. I treasure the fact that racing has women and men competing head-on. It's a great selling point for the sport.

"My question is, rather, whether we are making the most of this distinctiveness to attract interest, with the coverage and revenues that it could bring in and to help us to appeal to people outside our traditional demographic."

Addressing the role of the BHA, Phelps said the tripartite governance structure of the sport between the BHA, Racecourse Association and Horsemen's Group had its "challenges".

"It makes racing strong when it moves together but it's vulnerable to division and disagreement and if we end up in that position it could bring us to a halt," she warned.

"So one thing I am very clear about is that when I look at the list of challenges and opportunities, now is the time for unity, not division."

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