Considerations Against Compulsory Equine Influenza Vaccination For Individual Pleasure and Sporting Horse Owners

The attached information should be of interest to all horse owners, giving some perspective to the vaccination issue. It may also assist individual horse owners when attending public EI meetings. Please feel free to use this information in any way you desire.

Kind Regards

Erich

(Proud Horse owner and trail horse rider)

• Horses will need to be vaccinated every year (1 or 2 times) at a substantial cost.
• Horses will have to be microchipped and/or registered, etc. at a cost.
• There will be a considerable management and administration cost for a compulsory vaccination scheme, which will probably need to be borne by tax payers.
• The repeated annual expense of compulsory vaccination will seriously disadvantage typical pleasure and sporting horse owners who are not able to take advantage of the taxation concessions available to commercial enterprises such as horse racing organisations, commercial horse breeding and training enterprises, etc.
• The financial burden of compulsory vaccinations will undoubtedly force many pleasure and sporting horse owners to abandon horse ownership altogether, resulting in a marked reduction in pleasure and sporting horse numbers.
• The financial and social flow on effect of this reduction in horse ownership will have wide-reaching consequences for all non-profit pleasure and sporting horse organisations and impact on virtually all equine activities other than Horse Racing, from trail horse riding to campdrafting, rodeo and pony club activities, etc.
• It will cause serious irreparable damage to the entire general horse industry, (again, with the exception of the Horse Racing Industry), including feed producers, feed merchants, horse equipment suppliers, float manufacturers, saddlers, equine veterinary goods suppliers, farriers, horse trainers and veterinarians, etc., etc.
• Both, from a financial and disease control perspective, compulsory vaccination is of no benefit to typical pleasure or sporting horse owners with one or two horses.
• Vaccinated horses do not gain complete immunity from EI and will still transmit the EI virus. They are still likely to contract EI although usually in a milder form and are still capable to pass the EI virus on to other horses.
• There is also the question of vaccination response mutation of the EI virus in vaccinated horses, with the possibility of development of more potent EI virus strains as a result of viral adaptation!
• According to expert scientific observation non-vaccinated horses, which contract EI gain a higher degree of immunity from the disease, than vaccinated horses.
• EI is only a temporarily debilitating equine disease, similar to human influenza, with a potentially higher risk of secondary complications in young foals and older animals with compromised immune systems. It stands to reason, that owners of horses with weakened immune systems may wish to vaccinate at their discretion. As with the voluntary vaccination of horses against Tetanus and Strangles, both of which are potentially fatal, owners may prefer to vaccinate against EI as a matter of personal choice.
• This combination of poor immunity, antigenic drift and the use of out of date or wrong subtype vaccines gives rise to a real problem when confronted with this disease. Vaccinated horses will be reinfected and as they have some protection they will show few if any symptoms (ie be subclinical) but still shed virus and be a source of new infections. This makes detection more difficult and more expensive as we have to rely on a wider range of laboratory tests.
• In the face of an outbreak there is the confusion created with positive blood results as to whether they are due to vaccine or natural infection. In those countries where vaccination is practised there are regular episodes of disease and every five or so years there is a major outbreak.
• It must be pointed out that vaccination on its own has not ever resulted in EI eradication. It may have a place alongside stringent biosecurity measures and movement controls.
• Vaccination may be used to protect animals in certain sub sectors /regions of the horse industry and /or to reduce the economic impact of this disease.
Advantages and disadvantages of vaccination for EI
• Advantages
• Vaccination can prevent clinical disease.
• Vaccination reduces the susceptibility of at-risk horses, reduces the severity of clinical signs and the level of viral shedding if they become infected.
• Vaccination can reduce farm-to-farm spread of infection.
• Disadvantages
• Vaccination may mask clinical signs so vaccinated horses will need to be identified and monitored for evidence of infection.
• Serological monitoring will be difficult, even though tests are available to differentiate vaccinated horses. Some tests used in this respect may not be internationally validated.
• The movement of sub-clinically infected vaccinated horses may spread infection to previously unaffected areas.
• Vaccination may prolong the need for movement restrictions because it may slow the transmission and spread of infection within areas.
• Vaccinating selected regions will lead to the country being separated into free and vaccinated areas. This will result in differential movement requirements and the need for infrastructure (permits, border controls, etc) to maintain integrity of free areas.
• Vaccination will have an impact in terms of registration and passport issues and the practical control measures required before many horse events can proceed.
• Vaccination is not an immediate option, it will take time to import vaccine (permit process), deploy vaccine and train vaccinators, vaccinate the population and for immunity to develop.
• In the case of the recombinant vaccine there may difficulties with its registration and there would likely be restrictions placed on how and who may use the vaccine.
• Vaccination may affect performance in the short term.
• Vaccine use is likely to extend the duration of an outbreak and delay ability to declare freedom.
• Compulsory EI vaccination for non-commercial horse owners makes little sense from a disease control or financial perspective. The decision to vaccinate should therefore be left to individual horse owners as it is the case with humans choosing to vaccinate or not against the human influenza virus!.
• The Racing Industry represents a vast network of for profit only commercial enterprises based on horse racing and horse breeding and associated business enterprises, all enjoying generous taxation privileges,
• Monitored obligatory vaccination for the Horse Racing Industry is likely to offer a high degree of protection across the entire Industry. I will enhance the Industry’s ability to meet future scheduled race meetings and large-scale events and reduce interruptions of race horse breeding activities. With enormous financial interests to protect, a large payroll and a massive financial flow-on to the general community, compulsory vaccination for the Racing Industry does make sense, particularly in view of the industry’s ability to offset vaccination expenses through existing generous taxation concessions.
• The Race Horse Industry therefor bears no relationship whatsoever, to the large number of Australian pleasure and sporting horse owners, who enjoy a special relationship with their horses for which they care without any kind of taxation relief or governmental assistance.
• It is important to remember that the Horse Racing Industry comprises a vast network of tight-knit (for-profit only) business enterprises whose activities are solely based on the utilisation of horses for commercial purposes. Horses are valued entirely on a commercial return/performance basis. Sentimental consideration have no place in this Industry as is evidenced by the large-scale disposal “non-performing” animals, whose cost of breeding, feeding, training and eventual Disposal are all tax deductible to the Industry!
• In essence The Horse Racing Industry represents a large-scale self-contained commercial enterprise system based on the commercial utilisation of horses, which sets it completely apart from the large number of individual Australian horse lovers. With minimum contact between Racing Industry horses and the pleasure/sporting horses of the wider horse owners community, the Racing Industry is well-positioned to maintain a state of self-managed quarantine system, further strengthened by obligatory vaccination of its livestock. Risk management would be further enhanced through the exclusive engagement of Racing Industry veterinarians and farriers.

Erich Raab
B.App.Sc (Sys Ag), M.App.Sc. (Env. Hlth) Dip. Comm.
Member of ATHRA and Lake Macquarie Pack & Trail Horse Riders

Latest on vaccination and getting competition up again - 25th October

Wendy Cohen, Thursday, 25 October 2007
ROAD TO RECOVERY – Full of Potholes

A meeting was called today by Department of Primary Industry, Chaired by Graeme Eggleston, to assist us in the Performance and Pleasure horse industry to hold competitions.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the Arabian Society, Stockhorse Association, Royal Agricultural Society, Quarter Horse Association, Rodeo, as well as the EFA. All agreed that the difficulties of running competitions under the present conditions created very significant problems.

The EFA NSW submitted a series of protocols and plans in an attempt to negotiate conditions in which we could conduct competitions in the Purple Zone.

We also repeated our request that the government and the DPI urgently consider our need to allow horses to be vaccinated in the Amber and Green zones so that competition could be attended by all our members.

DPI presented the draft of a paper which outlined current thinking and plans which would facilitate the Road to Recovery. In that document it is stated that by “14th November 2007 there will be a large pool in excess of 14,000 horses vaccinated” mostly in the Purple Zone but some also in the Red Zone.

In went on the state, “The industry acknowledges the weaknesses of vaccine as an eradication tool as it does not prevent infection or excretion of EI virus. However, technical advice is that vaccination with Canary Pox vectored Vaccine is an essential element of EI Eradication.”

Under the heading ‘Key Principles : Every attempt will be made to ensure the EI virus is not present in NSW horses by May 2008. Movements to equine events will be on the basis of EI immunity. Interstate movements will be based on the requirements of the state concerned. Equine groups will put infrastructure in place to handle equine events by 31 December 2007 including the development and implementation of vaccination plans for selected horses covered by the organization concerned.”

This all sounds very encouraging but unfortunately it is clear that there are huge POT HOLES to be confronted on the road to recovery.

The first of these is that the present situation appears to allow competitions to go ahead almost immediately in the Purple Zone on the basis that only horses from that zone attend. But the organizing committee is to be held responsible for making sure no one from outside the zone brings a horse to the competition. Also it is their responsibility to ensure that all the horses have either recovered, been vaccinated, or have a blood test to show they carry anti-bodies to protect them from further infection with EI.

The EFA NSW has suggested a series of protocols which will assist in this but these still need to be circulated and accepted.

We know that our members in the Amber/Green zones want to know if their horses can come into the Purple Zone for competition if they are vaccinated. At this stage those people would need to prove that they came from a virus free property. In order to do that all horses would have to either be vaccinated on that property and a period of seven days have elapsed following the second vaccination; or they would have to have had blood tests.

So whilst the buffer zones remain the problems of moving from zone to zone are going to be difficult.

The situation was perhaps best illustrated by the second meeting for the day at which the thoroughbred racing industry asked what would happen if a horse at the Magic Millions Sale was found to be infected with EI. The answer was that the sale would be locked down. The racing industry reps pointed out that no seller would send a horse to the sale and risk lock down.

Tomorrow there is to be a meeting at the Federal level where EFA National will be presenting the difficulties faced by our various organizations in getting competitions running again. It is likely that there will be further discussion about the role of vaccine in assisting the plans for the Road to Recovery. The problems of the leaving and entering various zones as well as interstate travel for horses and riders will also be addressed.

This report is an effort to keep our members and the wider horse community up to date with the state of play. It has to be understood that it is not possible to predict what the next move will be. The difficulties to be faced in the strategy in dealing with EI are very complex, the demands from the various interests are intense. The EFA is keen to serve the interests of all our members and the wider horse community and we will keep you informed of the changing situation as soon as we know it.

Many thanks to Judy Fasher for this report and her tireless efforts to date to support all EFA members and the wider equestrian community. Wendy Cohen

HELPING HAND FOR EI HIT HORSE INDUSTRY WORKERS AND BUSINESS

Minister for Transport, Trade, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
Thursday, October 25, 2007

Embattled equine industry workers and businesses will soon have three dedicated contacts on the ground offering help, thanks to Queensland Government funding. Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations John Mickel said a $150,000 grant is being used to hire three employment coordinators to assist those affected by the Equine Influenza outbreak. “The coordinators, based at the Queensland Harness Racing Board in Albion, will focus on identifying workers suffering financial strain as a result of the outbreak who might benefit from short-term paid work on Skilling Queenslanders for Work projects.”

“They will then work with equine industry organisations to develop a suite of projects that will employ these people and help the industry recover until the crisis recedes,” Mr Mickel said. “The projects, which we aim to have running in a matter of weeks, will have a direct and positive impact on the industry and may include track works, beautification and upgrades of horse industry venues.”

Mr Mickel stressed that the assistance was not just for those in the racing industry – but that it covered all people adversely affected by the outbreak. “One coordinator will focus directly on helping people working in areas represented by the Performance and Pleasure Horse Industry Group which includes pony clubs, equestrian horses and show jumping, among others,” he said.

“The coordinators will also act as a conduit between affected people, industry and government - educating and advising individuals on available support and reporting back on areas of need and the success of the State Government’s wider $20 million Equine Influenza Response Package."

Racing Board Chairman Bob Lette said two of the coordinators – Kerry Baker and Gail Dawson - started this week and the Performance and Pleasure Horse Industry Group coordinator will be on board very soon. “The strict movement controls put in place to contain the spread of the virus have meant that business has virtually come to a standstill and people are suffering great hardship,”

Mr Lette said. “The equine crisis isn’t just affecting people directly employed in horse-related industries but has had ripple effects to many other businesses. “It’s vital that we offer people alternative income sources during these difficult times that don’t threaten the ability of employers to find skilled staff when the industry gets back on its feet. “By giving people the chance to get paid work on projects that will upgrade and enhance racing venues we can help them financially and keep them in the industry.

“The target areas for assistance are the Red Exclusion Zones within South-East Queensland – especially around horse industry venues.” During 2007/08 the Queensland Government will invest approximately $82 million in the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative to give an estimated 17,000 long-term unemployed and underemployed people job related assistance and skills training to maximise labour force participation and increase Queensland's prosperity.

Twelve months after receiving employment and training assistance, 67 per cent of participants are in employment. Skilling Queenslanders for Work is part of the State Government’s $1 billion Queensland Skills Plan which aims to provide individuals and industry with the skills and workforce for the 21st Century.

More information on the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative visit www.employment.qld.gov.au or call 1300 369 925.

Contact: Queensland Harness Racing Board Race Club and Events Manager Peter Duffy on 3624 8902 or pduffy@qld.harness.org.au

For more information on assistance available to people adversely affected by the Equine Influenza outbreak call the EI Work Placement hotline on 1800 200 825.

Ministerial Contacts: Chris Brown on 3237 1944 or Elouise Campion on 3237 1125 October 25, 2007