Back on track: ARB

SYDNEY - The Equine Influenza outbreak in Australia has been contained and is on track for early eradication, according to Australia’s chief veterinary officer, Dr Andy Carroll.

“Since reaching a high of some 10,000 infected premises in October-November last year, we now have less than 1,000 infected premises indicating that our strategy in combating the disease has been highly successful,” Dr Carroll said in a statement.

The number of infected premises was rapidly decreasing, with no new detections of the disease reported since December 22.

“This success, and the use of vaccination, has allowed non-risk horses to move more freely to participate in events around Australia.

This is a great development in getting our horse industry and horse sports back on track,” Dr Carroll said.

“We are winning the battle against the disease and we are increasingly optimistic that horse flu will be eradicated much earlier than previously expected,” Dr Carroll said.

Australian Racing Board chairman Bob Pearson said the industry could be confident that transport protocols were likely to be further eased within the next four weeks.

“EI in Australia has been contained and we are now moving very quickly towards total Eradication,” Pearson said.

“One of the results of this is that we can be confident that the transport

protocols that have already been successful to date are likely to be further eased within the next four weeks.”

“2008 starts on an excellent note for the Australian racing industry with all of the major sales and racing events traditionally scheduled for the first half of the year now allocated new dates and set to proceed under full steam,” he said.

“Obviously there will be biosecurity precautions, but these will be sensible and manageable, causing the minimum possible amount of inconvenience to both vendors and purchasers. They are certainly not of a nature that should deter anybody from participating.”

He said arrangements for the re-opening of Australia’s export market were progressing with Biosecurity Australia and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) negotiating conditions with Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Iran, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

Macau has provided amended conditions for the importation of horses and the Philippines have agreed to conditions for horses purchased at the Magic Millions and William Inglis sales. Negotiations with the Philippines on arrangements that will allow for wider sourcing of horses within Australia are continuing.

The United States, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and the Republic of Korea continue to import horses from Australia in accordance with conditions in place prior to the outbreak.