Unbridled joy as outbreak finally eradicated

SYDNEY'S $20 million autumn racing carnival has been given a significant boost following confirmation the devastating equine influenza outbreak has been eradicated.

NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald yesterday declared the state was "EI-free" and lifted the restrictions on horse movements.
This announcement ensures the best racehorses from interstate and New Zealand can now compete in Sydney during the autumn carnival in coming weeks.
Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'Landys said the eradication of EI was "a wonderful day for racing in NSW".
"The black clouds have finally lifted from the horse racing industry," he said.
"It's been a great strain both emotionally and financially for hundreds of thousands of people and we don't want to go through that again.
"Sydney missed out on the spring carnival due to EI and it had a disastrous impact on the racing industry. We couldn't afford this to happen again for the 2008 Sydney autumn carnival."
After EI hit on August 25 last year, NSW racing was forced to abandon 193 race meetings - 30 in the metropolitan area, 31 provincial and 132 country - precipitating a TAB betting downturn estimated at more than $500 million.
During the peak of the EI crisis, more than 47,000 horses on 6000 properties in NSW were infected.
Mr Macdonald revealed a vaccination program was then undertaken with more than 63,000 horses administered a genetically modified vaccine.
"We are now officially EI-free," Mr Macdonald said.
"The equine influenza has now been eradicated in this state. This fantastic news means that from today all permit and testing requirements for moving horses within the state have been lifted."
The only other Australian state directly affected by EI, Queensland, has no confirmed cases and is on the verge of declaring that it is free from horse flu.