EI in retreat: Christmas gift for thousands of horse owners

21 Dec 2007
The State Government’s campaign to eradicate equine influenza (EI) will take a giant step forward at midnight when the EI free green zone is expanded by a further 8.5 million hectares, Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, said today.
"This is a massive step towards stamping this disease out once and for all with more than 84 per cent of NSW part of the green zone," Minister Macdonald said."Lowering the EI infection risk in large areas of the central tablelands, south-west, north and north-west of the State will come into effect at midnight following clearance testing of thousands of horses.
"The EI amber zone will be slashed by 5.6 million hectares and the high risk red zone cut by 3 million hectares.
"Eradicating horse flu from these areas is our single biggest success to date and yet further proof we have this highly contagious virus on the run and close to being under control.
"The EI free green zone now covers more than 84 per cent of NSW, while the medium risk amber zone is confined to under 10 per cent of the State and the high risk red zone has been cut to just 3 per cent.
"From tomorrow, horse owners in the new green zones will be free to move their horses within the zone after obtaining a Travelling Horse Statement for each movement."
Minister Macdonald said successfully containing the EI virus to already infected regions had enabled proof-of-freedom testing to free up lower risk areas of NSW.
"This is another major step in the Government’s plan to progressively downgrade the risk in infected areas as horse flu burns out, lifting movement restrictions, easing disinfection requirements and gradually resuming horse events," he said.
"Maintaining good biosecurity and keeping tight control over horse movements in high risk areas remain vital to keep horse flu contained, and continuing with second round vaccination is crucial to continue to build up horse immunity.
"If everything keeps going to plan, the next step of the recovery phase will be the reintroduction of movement restrictions in the purple zone in January.
"This will enable us to commence surveillance and resolution testing in purple zone.
"But we still have a long way to go before horse flu is eradicated. It will take time for the virus to burn out in already infected areas, even without new outbreaks.
"This will be followed by a lengthy period of surveillance testing and investigation to confirm that EI has been eradicated."
Whole local government areas moved to green zone:
Bathurst Regional
Blayney
Junee
Orange
Upper Lachlan
Yass Valley
Local government areas partly moved to green zone:
Bland
Boorowa
Cabonne
Coolamon
Cootamundra
Cowra
Forbes
Gilgandra
Gwydir
Harden
Inverell
Lithgow
Mid-Western Regional
Moree Plains
Narromine
Parkes
Temora
Walgett
Warren
Warrumbungle
Wellington
Full details on changes to all zone boundaries will be available from 4.00pm today at: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/equine-influenza
The new NSW EI Protection Plan zoning breakdown is:
84.4% of NSW is Protected Green Zone;
9.5% is Amber;
3% is Red; and
3% is Purple.