AQIS warned in 2003

Tuesday, 27 November 2007

SYDNEY - The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) was warned four years ago about inadequate quarantine protocols at Sydney airport, the Callinan Inquiry into how Equine Influenza entered Australia heard on Monday.

Dr Phil Widders, NSW chief quarantine officer with AQIS, wrote to his superiors in October 2003 expressing his concerns over protocols at the Livestock Transfer Facility at Sydney airport.

He expressed particular concern over the numbers of people in the area, the disposal of drinking water that came from the aircraft and the clearance of personnel including grooms who had travelled with the stallions.

Dr Widders said he was unaware he had the power to evict people such as stud managers and horse owners from the area or to enforce rules regarding wearing protective clothing or washing.

"I didn't have any understanding that we had the power to refuse admission to an area that wasn't a quarantine approved area," Dr Widders said.

The Livestock Transfer Facility is a corral at the airport managed by Aero-Care for the Sydney Airport Corporation where imported horses are offloaded from air stalls and loaded on to trucks for transport to Eastern Creek where they are housed in quarantine.

Three different national programs within AQIS - airports, cargo and live animal import - are involved in the processing of animals at the airport.

Since the EI outbreak occurred in August, extra security and biosecurity measures have been employed at both the airport and Eastern Creek.

The inquiry continues today.