A MESSAGE FOR FRIENDS AND HORSES WHO ARE NOT EFA MEMBERS

Wendy Cohen, Thursday, 18 October 2007

It will understandably seem to you that the EFA has been solely concentrated on its own members in the past three weeks. Please let us re-assure you.

EFA NSW has negotiated with the State Government and the DPI to immediately release 3,000 doses of live canary pox vaccinations for use in the Red and Purple Zones. All horses in the Red and Purple zone WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN INFECTED WITH EI can now be vaccinated.

To arrange this contact your vets and give them details of how many horses you have on your property and where you are situated. Your vet will then pass on this information to Derek Major, Agnes Banks Vet Clinic, in the Hawkesbury and he will arrange for vaccination as soon as possible. This will be at Government/Industry cost.

The EFA is working alongside the AHIC in gathering this information and the AHIC is assisting in the process by contacting all other non-racing organisations and forward information to the DPI. The AHIC instituted a survey that has been widely distributed throughout the sport and leisure horse community.

THE WAY FORWARD
If all goes to plan this effort should mean that competitions could begin in about the second week of December. This calculation depends clearly on all horses who you wish to compete either being over the effects of EI or having had their second injection of the vaccination before the end of November.

Following Minister Peter McGauran's press release of the 17th October, which stated that 500,000 doses of vaccine have been ordered by the Federal Government, EFA NSW has put in a submission to the State Government for 10,000 doses of vaccine for use on a 'user pays’ basis in the Amber and Green Areas. This is now being considered by DPI. EFA NSW has proposed that these doses be distributed to vets around the state in order that owners can ask their local vet to vaccinate their horses.
It is not possible to give an indication of a time frame for this to eventuate because it is not clear how long it will be before the vaccine arrives in Australia. Six weeks was the time mentioned in discussions with DPI today.

As everyone will realise EI has challenged us all including those who are working hard on you behalf to remedy the situation.

There was understandably considerable caution in the first instance in releasing the vaccine. This was because the policy was to return Australia to its EI Free status. Whilst this vision has not been abandoned, it is now recognised that the use of vaccine may assist in the control of the virus.
At every step and whenever possible the EFA NSW has brought to the attention of the powers that be the plight of all horse owners in all activities including breeding. We will continue to advocate for the whole industry and hope that it will be recognised that acting together as The Horse Industry, is in everybody's interest.