Magic Millions will lobby Rudd Government

GOLD COAST – Magic Millions will seek the assistance of ministers in the new federal government to secure the safe reopening of horse exports between Australia and major Asian countries.

A report in today’s Australian newspaper says the Gold Coast-based sales company hopes Simon Crean, as minister for trade, and Tony Burke, agriculture, fisheries and forestry, can take a proactive stance, along with the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS), in establishing protocols to permit horses bought in Australia to be accepted into foreign countries that are presently blocking exports in the wake of the equine influenza crisis.

AQIS has played a role in The Philippines being prepared to receive horses from Australia, but it is felt that top-level communication is required to reconnect an important trade with Asian countries that invest heavily in Australia's thoroughbreds.

"We need to be more proactive in opening up the markets again for countries that have closed their doors on Australia for export," Magic Millions managing director David Chester said in the report.

"The only countries taking horses at the moment are Korea and The Philippines. Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Macau and even Iran are not.

"Australia is the second-biggest thoroughbred breeding country in the world and we need these international people buying at our sales.

"People who bought from those countries at our sale last week are sweating on getting these horses back home in the next four months.

"We can't have people sitting on their backsides in Canberra, waiting for these countries to come and talk to them. That is not going to happen ... We need leaders to get our international markets open again."

Chester said there was a need to establish sensible working protocols between states regarding the movement of horses.

"Every horse has had two inoculations and EI has been contained and is being eradicated, so at some point we have to get back to some normality," Chester said.

"This is not about Magic Millions, but all participants in the thoroughbred industry."