EFA NSW

Good news and the Challenge!

The EFA paid $821,000 of the Federal Government’s CHAPs funds into accounts of EFA members and other applicants from the entire non-racing horse community yesterday.

“There have been a few administrative hurdles to conquer, but now the show is on the road and our members and all other horse people we are looking after can be confident that we will maintain our service to them and keep the payments flowing.” said Chairman, David Lawrence.

Yesterday, David and Judy Fasher attended a meeting with the NSW Minister for Primary Industry, Mr Ian Macdonald. Since last week’s meeting we had with the minister there have been significant negotiations between the DPI and the EFA NSW consulting vet, Dr Derek Major. This has resulted in all of our squad horses, both National and NSWIS, being vaccinated with their first shot of the live canary pox vaccine.

This is the preferred vaccine because, through blood tests, it is possible to establish whether the horse has suffered EI or been given the vaccine. These horses were all micro chipped at the same time they were vaccinated. In two weeks they will be given a follow-up injection which will be followed by a booster within three months. There is agreement between the DPI, the government and the consulting vets that the disease now needs to be controlled with the aid of vaccination.

Minister Macdonald has allocated 3,000 doses of the live vaccine for use in the Red and Purple Zones of the state. This is to ensure that within the zones all competition horses will have either had the disease or have been micro chipped and vaccinated. Derek Major is tasked with the accreditation of vets to administer the live virus and the distribution of the vaccine.

Figures to date indicate some 600 horses in the purple zone remain uninfected and need vaccination. The EFA NSW has just gone through the daunting task of contacting all performance card holders in the zone to establish the numbers for vaccination. Derek Major reports that the graph of the disease in the Purple Zone peaked on 19th of September and seems to be subsiding now. This is encouraging, but means that in order for us to get competitions up and running we need those horses that have remained disease free to get the vaccine and hopefully remain so.

There is now the challenge of those horses in the Amber and Green Zones. Many of our members are calling for vaccination of their horses in order that competitions can get underway. The Minister has asked us to ‘make a bid’ for the numbers of vaccine doses we would need to vaccinate on a user pays basis in these areas. In order to do this the EFA office is looking to establish a means of direct communication on line between our members and the office. Please keep watching this site for details and tell everyone who might be interested, but as we are very busy on the phone with the Purple and Red Zone issue could we ask that you avoid calling us just yet if you are in the Amber or Green Zones. We will get to you.

Minister Macdonald has called on the EFA NSW to provide a “Roadmap to Recovery” which means a schedule of when we might begin competitions. Infected horses in the Purple Zone are slowly coming back into work. Derek Major intends to begin the vaccinations of the horses still uninfected in the first two weeks in November. If second shots can be given before the end of November this should mean that the vaccinated horses can compete midway through December. The EFA NSW is considering “Back in the Saddle” events, in conjunction with the National EFA’s initiative, before Christmas……….These will involve all three Olympic disciplines and a pre-Christmas party. The details are still on the drawing board and are of course dependant on the vaccinations being carried out.

The EFA NSW Board and the office staff are very well aware that this is a confusing and testing time for all our members. Be assured that every effort is being made to assist you in getting back on track following this devastating crisis.

Our office resources and our staff are absolutely committed to assisting in everyway possible and we would ask you to please co-operate in providing us with the information we need in order to kick on and get going.