AQIS knew about 'unsafe' horse handling: inquiry

A senior vet with the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) has told an inquiry into last year's horse flu outbreak that problems with quarantine procedures were identified as early as 2001.

Dr Ainslie Brown has told an inquiry in Sydney that altered health certificates were routinely accepted by the quarantine department because no procedure existed to stop their clearance.
She said procedural issues had been raised in quarantine department emails since 2001, including the excessive and unsafe numbers of horse handlers having access to the quarantined animals.
The chair of the inquiry, Commissioner Ian Callinan, said he did not understand how a senior vet could accept health certificates with names and dates changed using correction fluid.
He said it was irresponsible for Ms Brown to give clearance to horses when she could not confirm that the stated treatment had taken place.