Tasmania 1.15pm Tuesday

Folks
We’ve had advice by phone that the test results from Geelong are negative. These were tests on samples from the horses of concern on the three NW properties.

We’ll get the formal test results later today and we’ll then be looking to lift the quarantine restrictions on those properties.

This means that the suspect cases are now all ruled out as being EI.

All the formerly suspect horses are now either improving or have recovered completely – further evidence that this was not EI.

For everyone’s information;

• The owners of the horses that were suspect have all been wonderful and, of course, each did exactly the right thing by reporting the sickness in their horses so quickly. A big "thanks" to them.
• The organisers of the horse events at the Burnie show had a good biosecurity program in place and it was their good record of entrants that enabled us to identify and contact the owners of all contact horses very quickly.

Obviously, while the "scare" of the last few days is now over, the alert is not. Now is not a good time for anybody to become complacent, so please keep hammering your friends (and others) with encouragement to keep practising good biosecurity !!

Cheers
Barry Calderbank
Communications