EI purple zone expanded to ease pressure on horse owners: Macdonald

12 Oct 2007


Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, today announced changes to the State Government’s four-colour equine influenza (EI) zoning system, expanding the purple zone to incorporate Camden, Maitland and Tamworth.“This common-sense decision frees up movements for thousands more horse owners and breeders in the heavily infected expanded purple zone,” Minister Macdonald said.“After exhaustive tracing and surveillance by NSW DPI, we now have the intelligence that allows us to revisit the boundaries of the purple zone.“Expanding the zone will greatly reduce the economic impact this contagious disease is having on our horse industries and allow the multi-million dollar horse breeding industry to resume.“It means activities such as show jumping, dressage, pony carnivals, and three-day events can go ahead – as long as the horses are fit and healthy and stay within the purple zone.“It also means drought affected horse owners, who were previously forced to buy in feed for their horses, will now have the opportunity to agist them elsewhere in the purple zone.“Under the new zoning arrangements the purple zone will stretch from Tamworth to Camden, linking known highly infected areas in between.

The purple zone includes all or part of the following Local Government Areas:
Penrith, Liverpool, Camden, Wollondilly
The Hawkesbury, Gosford, Wyong,
Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Port Stephens Great Lakes,
Cessnock, Maitland, Dungog, Singleton, Upper Hunter and Muswellbrook,
Tamworth, Liverpool Plains.

“I want to make it absolutely clear from the outset that the purple zone still represents an area of high infection where lateral transfer between properties is happening at a substantial rate,” Mr Macdonald said.“Horses can move into the purple zone with a permit but cannot leave until authorised.”Minister Macdonald said key horse breeding areas were within the existing purple zone including the Upper Hunter and Sydney regions.“This re-zoning will take in many more horse studs – including Quarter Horses, Arabian horses and performance horses - allowing the movement of non-thoroughbred mares to stallions during the current mating season,” Minister Macdonald said.“Strict hygiene requirements will apply to horse floats and trucks leaving the purple zone.“Horse associated people in the purple zone and red zones are asked to apply strict hygiene and biosecurity measures when leaving the highly infected purple zone.

“This follows an outbreak of the horse flu at Barmedman which can only be attributed to a human spreading the disease from an infected property.“As a result the NSW DPI has responded swiftly, creating a red zone around the infected property and has started vaccinating horses within a declared buffer.“As a precautionary measure, the nearby Young Local Government Area has been changed from green to amber, due to its proximity to the Barmedman outbreak.

”The zones are:Green - Protected Area - no disease, aim to keep free. Currently includes the Far West, Riverina and Eden-Monaro areas. Travelling Horse Statement required and a permit for events.Amber - Restricted Area - no confirmed disease, suspect horses to be investigated as quickly as possible. Based around large parts of the Central West and North Coast areas. Movements may be authorised for racing and breeding. Movements to other events prohibited.

Red - Restricted Area - area of at least 10 km around Infected Premises, high containment and biosecurity to be applied to individual premises and area.

Limited permits within the red zone, current movement restrictions stand.Purple - Special Restricted Area - largely infected. Biosecurity applied to movements of people and vehicles out of area. Horses must not leave the zone. Includes the area stretching from Camden to Tamworth.