NSW EI campaign gets national stamp of approval

In a major stamp of approval for the Iemma Government’s equine influenza (EI) strategy, all States and Territories of Australia have agreed to recognise the current EI Green Zone in NSW on equal terms with their own disease-free jurisdictions, Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said today.
"This means that 86 per cent of NSW is accepted nationally as disease free and movements across the border from this area of NSW will be eased from Friday 1 February," Mr Macdonald said today.
"This is further significant step towards a return to normal for the States’ horse industries.
"The NSW Government has been successful in getting national agreement to lift the quarantine requirements applying to horses moving out of the State from the NSW EI Green Zone.
"To implement the nationally-accepted status, the current green zone will be reclassified on 1 February as white in the State’s EI Protection Plan," he said.
"This will really benefit horse owners living along the border in southern NSW who have had to contend with stringent border crossing restrictions even though the area has been disease free for some time.
"Until now all horses moving into Victoria from the NSW Green Zone required a permit and had to spend up to two weeks in quarantine in both states.
"Now, all that will be required is a Travelling Horse Statement (THS) in NSW and a permit from the DPI in the destination State."
The THS can be filled out on line and downloaded from the NSW DPI website. This is the same simple document that NSW horse owners need to move horses within the Green Zone.
Requirements for horse movements within the new NSW white zone will be the same as for the current green zone. All other movements between EI zones in NSW remain unchanged.
Details will be available on the NSW DPI website www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/horse/influenza or by calling the Equine Influenza hotline on 1800 675 888.
Mr Macdonald said New South Wales was on track to be free of horse flu by the middle of March. When this happens all that will be required to move a horse in NSW is a Travelling Horse Statement (THS).
"This is good news for our horse industries, but it hinges on not one more case in the coming weeks.
"Good bio-security, reporting of suspect horses and sensible movement of animals is more crucial to the campaign than ever. There is no room for complacency; one undiagnosed sick horse could bring down the house of cards."