Horses are in Alan Delany’s blood. He runs Delany Performance Feeds, based in Laytown Co Meath with his wife Lisa. The company supplies horse feed across the island and to Great Britain.
“We also have a small family farm where we train and breed race horses too with my brother and father. My wife sometimes tells me, that I look after my horses better than myself,” Alan says.
It’s a proud heritage, evident in the pictures on the walls in his house, and one that has a claim to fame “We are right on the beach at Laytown” says Alan. ‘My great uncle would have trained the 1898 Irish Grand National winner, Porridge, on the same beach.”
Alan has continued in the winning tradition, in terms of Delany Performance Feeds, suppling Aintree Grand National winning trainers, Gold cup winners and Champion Hurdle victors.
The Performance Feeds part of the business was set up over a decade ago, when Alan was seeking a solution to help horses with ulcers. He came across a manufacturer in Co Tyrone that had a product which worked well. Alan could see the opportunity “they didn’t have a whole lot of contacts built up so I took on the product and started selling it. We now have a big clientele that built up from a very small beginning”
Brexit Support
As an SME with a large proportion of trade in the UK, Alan was worried about the impact of Brexit on his business “We contacted InterTradeIreland as we had concerns about Brexit. We weren’t sure how, as a small company we should prepare. InterTradeIreland’s Brexit voucher scheme has been a huge help in making us familiar with what might happen. We were introduced to trade advisers who helped us through each aspect and came to meets us twice for a detailed chat on our particular circumstances and very helpfully came to a meeting with our supplier.”
“I found it very easy to apply for the funding and I found the level of knowledge available exceptional. It made me feel a lot more confident and secure. It’s given me peace of mind. I also found their on-line training platform really useful, you can find out lots of information as regards customs, tariffs and all the other issues. For anyone who is running a business and has any concerns about Brexit I would definitely recommend InterTradeIreland. It is the first place you should start.”
Earlier this year InterTradeIreland unveiled details of an enhanced Brexit Advisory Service, where businesses can secure up to £4,500 of funding, as well as benefit from a new bespoke on-line learning tool focused on practical help to prepare for Brexit.
Businesses can now benefit from two Brexit vouchers. The first provides 100 per cent financial support up to £2,000 (inclusive of VAT) towards professional advice to help businesses understand what exposure they have in relation to Brexit. This includes issues such as customs requirements and supply chain exposure, VAT and financial implications, as well as understanding complex tariff codes.
The second voucher – the new Brexit Implementation voucher - provides financial support up to £5,000, with InterTradeIreland paying 50 per cent. This voucher will allow businesses to implement critical changes identified in the stage one process - making them better prepared to deal with a new trading relationship.
As part of the enhanced support package, InterTradeIreland has developed a tailor-made online learning tool. It is designed to help cross-border traders understand customs requirements, in terms of moving goods and services cross-border with step-by-step guides. This service also provides information on the impact of Brexit on employers and employees. Aimed at busy SMEs, it makes high-quality, concise information available to them in their own time, in an accessible way. It is free and available to multiple users within a company.