NZ lifts ban on Australian horse imports

New Zealand biosecurity officials have lifted the suspension on trans-Tasman imports of horses imposed when equine influenza broke out in Sydney last August.

The Australian Government recently announced the outbreaks in NSW and Queensland were over.
"We needed to take every precaution to prevent the disease being introduced here," Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) import standards manager Clive Gower Collins said.
"The new import requirements will ensure that horse imports do not present a biosecurity risk, and we are pleased that with its release, horses can now return home."
Horses must be vaccinated against equine influenza at least 42 days before travelling and held in quarantine premises for 21 days before departure, and at least 14 days on the New Zealand side of the Tasman.