HORSE DISEASE LEVY BILLS – 2008
AUSTRALIAN HORSE INDUSTRY COUNCIL INC.
AHIC supports the concept of a horse industry levy to help fund emergency disease responses. Importantly, the industry share of the response to an exotic disease must be equitable and fair. There are three draft levy Bills currently before the Federal Parliament.
AHIC is consulting with members and the broader horse community to determine their responses to the details in these Bills.
Background to the current Bills
Government assistance to the livestock industries is essential to assist in the emergency response to an exotic disease incursion. Agreements between government and industry about exotic disease responses go back to the mid 1950's. In those early days there was no provision for assistance for horse diseases.
Gradually the government-industry partnership agreement for exotic disease responses expanded to a longer list of livestock industry diseases and then included horse diseases.
This consultative process culminated in the late 1990's in development of the Exotic Animal Disease Response Agreement (EADRA) as we know it today. The current list of exotic diseases is 63, with more than 20 of those being diseases that can infect horses.
As part of EADRA, industry agrees to share costs of an exotic disease incursion with government. The industry share of costs is met by a levy on a product of the relevant industry. In the food and fibre industries, those products are readily identified – for example milk, meat and wool.
There is no readily definable product of the horse industry other than horses. This meant that the horse industry could not be incorporated into the current Levy Collection mechanisms that apply to the other livestock industries.
AHIC has been negotiating with government for more than 10 years about inclusion in EADRA. The hold-up has been finding a way to allow the horse industry to participate via an acceptable levy mechanism. There have been many meetings with the horse industry over the past 10 years, and several suggestions about what might be a suitable levy mechanism.
The conclusion to these discussions was a levy on horses at the time of registration, implemented after the emergency disease response was declared over.
Legislation for the horse specific levy mechanism has been in development since 2006.
There was a further hold up last year with the Federal election that put the then government into caretaker mode. Introduction of the current Horse Disease Levy and Collection Bills is the culmination of this more than 10 year process.
Passage of these Bills is essential to assure the horse industry of government assistance in the event of an exotic disease incursion. This provides access to government expertise, enactment of relevant legislation for emergency responses, mobilisation of government resources, and assurance that accounts can be paid by the Commonwealth Government during the emergency response. All this assures industry of prompt assistance through a response to an emergency disease incursion. Without EADRA industry is left on its own to cope – which is an impossible situation to confront for any of the livestock industries.
We invite you to submit any comments you might have about the necessity of a Levy mechanism to allow the horse industry to participate in EADRA and thereby take advantage of mechanisms available to the other livestock industries. Please forward your comments to AHIC by Sunday 9th of March at 5:00PM for collation as part of our presentation to the Minister.
AHIC supports the concept of a horse industry levy to help fund emergency disease responses. Importantly, the industry share of the response to an exotic disease must be equitable and fair. There are three draft levy Bills currently before the Federal Parliament.
AHIC is consulting with members and the broader horse community to determine their responses to the details in these Bills.
Background to the current Bills
Government assistance to the livestock industries is essential to assist in the emergency response to an exotic disease incursion. Agreements between government and industry about exotic disease responses go back to the mid 1950's. In those early days there was no provision for assistance for horse diseases.
Gradually the government-industry partnership agreement for exotic disease responses expanded to a longer list of livestock industry diseases and then included horse diseases.
This consultative process culminated in the late 1990's in development of the Exotic Animal Disease Response Agreement (EADRA) as we know it today. The current list of exotic diseases is 63, with more than 20 of those being diseases that can infect horses.
As part of EADRA, industry agrees to share costs of an exotic disease incursion with government. The industry share of costs is met by a levy on a product of the relevant industry. In the food and fibre industries, those products are readily identified – for example milk, meat and wool.
There is no readily definable product of the horse industry other than horses. This meant that the horse industry could not be incorporated into the current Levy Collection mechanisms that apply to the other livestock industries.
AHIC has been negotiating with government for more than 10 years about inclusion in EADRA. The hold-up has been finding a way to allow the horse industry to participate via an acceptable levy mechanism. There have been many meetings with the horse industry over the past 10 years, and several suggestions about what might be a suitable levy mechanism.
The conclusion to these discussions was a levy on horses at the time of registration, implemented after the emergency disease response was declared over.
Legislation for the horse specific levy mechanism has been in development since 2006.
There was a further hold up last year with the Federal election that put the then government into caretaker mode. Introduction of the current Horse Disease Levy and Collection Bills is the culmination of this more than 10 year process.
Passage of these Bills is essential to assure the horse industry of government assistance in the event of an exotic disease incursion. This provides access to government expertise, enactment of relevant legislation for emergency responses, mobilisation of government resources, and assurance that accounts can be paid by the Commonwealth Government during the emergency response. All this assures industry of prompt assistance through a response to an emergency disease incursion. Without EADRA industry is left on its own to cope – which is an impossible situation to confront for any of the livestock industries.
We invite you to submit any comments you might have about the necessity of a Levy mechanism to allow the horse industry to participate in EADRA and thereby take advantage of mechanisms available to the other livestock industries. Please forward your comments to AHIC by Sunday 9th of March at 5:00PM for collation as part of our presentation to the Minister.
posted by Horse Deals at
4:02 pm
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