The equine flu crisis is coming to an end

NSW should be free of the insidious horse flu virus within weeks, it will be announced today.

The State Government is hoping that all traces of the equine flu that has gripped the state and crippled the racing industry should be cleared by the end of March, finally allowing horse owners to move freely around the state.
Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'Landys said the announcement was like "winning the lottery" for many in the industry who had been unable to move their horses due to the restrictive zones.
"It is a godsend," he said. "There are so many regulations at the moment it is making life extremely difficult."
Acting Minister for Primary Industries Verity Firth warned the clearance would depend on no new cases emerging in the next few weeks.
"This is the best possible news for our horse industries, but I stress this all hinges on not one more single case in the coming weeks.
But it is a real possibility and one the Iemma Government and the state's horse industries are working towards. In fact, in NSW the last horse to test positive was on December 21.
"The horses involved probably became infected in early December."
The equine flu first reared its head in NSW in about August last year and devastated horse racing in Australia, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue and causing mass unemployment.