Industry getting back on its feet: 212 horses cross border

SYDNEY – The best evidence that the Australian thoroughbred industry is back on its feet in the wake of the Equine Influenza outbreak is increasing movement of horses interstate.

On Tuesday the NSW DPI announced changes in zones, increasing confidence among broodmare owners that restrictions will soon be further eased. Eight regions were scaled back from red to amber and there are solid plans to have the purple zone turn green in mid-March.

In the meantime, William Inglis and Son managing director Mark Webster today reported that 212 horses including 90 foals would cross the NSW-Victoria border bound for their Victorian base.

The majority are broodmares which would normally have returned to Victoria after a 45 day positive scan, but which were stranded when the EI crisis erupted in early spring.

“With the relaxation of procotols required for the movement of horses, these horses required a postive Elisa test and and PCR test showing a negative result within three days of travel across the border -- this is different from the previous requirement of three days quarantine in Sydney and a further three days at Oaklands in Melbourne,” Webster explained.

“Thus these 212 horses were stabled at our Newmarket complex of an overnight stay whilst PCR tests were taken and tested. Before travel horses and trucks were decontaminated. When they arrive in Melbourne they will be washed again and released,” he said.

“Given the overwhelming numbers we received on announcement of this exercise there will be another shipment of 100 horses travelling across the border on Friday.”

Horses in quarantine at the Inglis Newmarket complex have included racehorses destined for the stables of John Hawkes, John O'Shea, Lee Freedman and Gai Waterhouse.

Webster was among several thoroughbred industry representatives to attend a Consultative Committee on Emergency Animal Disease (CCEAD) meeting in mid-January to review movement protocols.

The CCEAD approved changes to protocols those relating to the movement of Recovered horses from Purple, Red and Amber zones.

“Movement of yearlings post sale should now be very straight forward and the general view of the CCEAD is that the restricted zones in NSW and QLD will be removed by mid March, as the last new EI case was Dec 22,” Webster said.

For recovered horses, movement within Australia requires a health certificate, a positive Elisa test within past six months, unless otherwise required by the CVO in State of destination (Victoria require it within 60 days), a negative PCR within 72 hours of movement, and the horses must not be from an infected property.

There must be decontamination under supervision onto transport, travel, and decontamination upon arrival at the destination.

These conditions are not required for recovered horses from the Green Zone.

The protocol for horse sales from mid-March 2008 based on maintenance of favourable EI disease situation is:

• Only recovered or vaccinated horses accepted for the sale
• 14 day property quarantine for vendors, including 7 day on-property isolation of sale horses including bio-security measures
• Booster vaccination prior to entry to on-property isolation
• PCR testing of sale horses on entry into on-property isolation and again at day 4-5 of on-property isolation

The Post Sale protocol component involves:

• Recovered horses - Decontaminate onto transport, travel, decontaminate when unload at destination.
• Vaccinated horses - Decontaminate onto transport, travel, decontaminate when unload at approved property of destination; On-property isolation and observation for 7 days on approved destination property.