Tasmanian News 2/11/07

Folks

Horse events

As I indicated in a brief email to you last night, the biosecurity requirements for horse events have changed. An updated biosecurity package is attached and is currently being loaded onto our website.

The key changes are ·

• A permit is no longer required but mandatory requirements must be complied with. ·
• The requirement that a vet check the horses onto the event site has been dropped. Instead, organisers should have the horses checked onto the site (for any signs of sickness) by a vet, a steward or an event offical. The point is that whoever does it should know what they are doing and be prepared to sign off that the check has been done before the horse goes onsite

Event organisers should still have a biosecurity plan in place for the event and we strongly recommend that they stick with our biosecurity plan template. The most important things are that only healthy horses be allowed entry and that there’s an accurate log of all horses entering and leaving the site - names, addresses, contacts etc - so that we can contact event participants and anybody else "at risk" quickly if a horse were to get sick with EI signs after the event. The entry form/declaration devised by the Equestrian Federation of Tasmania is excellent and should be used.

We still strongly advise that event organisers check with their insurer about EI-related public liability issues. And also check with the owner of the event site (if relevant) that they are happy with the plans - in particular the contingency plan for a lockdown. Please bear in mind that, if a horse were to become sick during the event and the signs were consistent with EI, the event would be locked down - and even if lab tests subsequently ruled out EI, that could easily be many hours later and possibly even a few days.

Please use the biosecurity plan template (link1) as the basis of your event’s biosecurity plan. Please contact us on 6233 6875 or by return email if you have any queries on any of this.

If you are planning an event, please remember we are here to offer biosecurity advice on any matters you are not sure about.

Horse flu information meeting.

There's an Equine Influenza meeting for interested horse folk at the Campbell Town hall on Saturday 10 November, starting at 12 noon. The contacts are Melita Gard in the North 0363302426 mgard@iprimus.com.au or Tracey Canham 0428 409 998 t.canham@yahoo.com.au in the South so please contact either for any details. I and Bruce Jackson, a DPIW vet, will be there, as will delegates from a similar meeting of recreational horse people at Ulverstone last Friday. My understanding is that there are two main objectives - firstly to discuss what happens from here, in terms of protecting Tasmanian horses from EI, and, secondly, for recreational horse folk in the state to consider the best way of developing their "clout" in terms of decision-making about the horse industry

For southern horse folk, don't forget there's an EI information evening at the Horseland store in Derwent Park on Wed 7 Nov starting at 7pm - bring a chair!!

Bringing interstate horses into Tasmania

I'll circulate more info on this later today. We are "crossing the t's" on the permit requirements this morning.

Cheers
Barry Calderbank