Maitland meeting to air horse flu eradication concerns

A Maitland vet says a key concern he hopes will be addressed at tonight's horse flu information session is whether the disease can be eradicated from Australia.

The meeting in Maitland, in the New South Wales Hunter region, is being held by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and will involve local vets, horse industry groups and rural lands protection board representatives.

It follows yesterday's announcement of a further $117 million in Federal Government funding to assist the commercial horse industry.
Maitland vet Ian Gollon says the disease has been around for two months and people want to know how long it is going to last.

"The major concern is just how far it is going to go and whether this disease is controllable and eradicable, or whether it becomes an endemic disease here and we have to look at widespread vaccinations," he said.
"There's been a number of adaptations to our expectations as to where it's going as it's gone along."