Vaccinations urged for horses in EI 'purple zone'

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries is urging the owners of horses in the equine influenza (EI) 'purple zone' to ensure their horses have a first round vaccination before February 3.
Purple zones are areas with a high level of EI infections, and currently cover parts of Helensburgh, Picton, and Wilton.
The department's deputy chief veterinary officer, Graham Eggelston, says that after February 3, unvaccinated horses will not be able to travel without a letter of permission.
Mr Eggelston says it is vital that horse are vaccinated before the cut-off date so second round vaccinations can begin.
"It's just that it upsets the vaccination program and it upsets our time lines for trying to get the state back to the 'green zone' if you like to call it, by the middle of March. So that's the key reason for it," he said.

Vic bio-security rules relaxed at races

MELBOURNE - Biosecurity measures at all Victorian race meetings will be removed, Racing Victoria Limited (RVL) and Dr Hugh Millar from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) announced today.

RVL met with Dr Hugh Millar yesterday afternoon to receive an update on the status of Equine Influenza in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland.

The DPI reported that there has not been a long distance virus travel since November 2007 and in more recent times, no new infections reported.

There is a high degree of confidence that infection is no longer spreading; thousands of tests in NSW show no infection since mid-December.

RVL Chief Executive Officer Stephen Allanson said: “As a result of this update RVL and the DPI have agreed to remove the bio security measures at all Victorian race meetings effective from today”.

While horse movement restrictions remain in place between the states, the DPI in NSW and Queensland will conduct a comprehensive testing program in February and March to determine when the movement bans can be modified.

Over the course of the next 24 hours trainers and owners will be notified of a range of ongoing measures that will be required to be performed in the day to day training and caring of horses.

Allanson said, “RVL acknowledges and commends the tremendous support of the DPI, all clubs and participants in their actions to keep Victoria EI free.”

AHIC Follow up survey - Have your say!

The Australian Horse Industry Council Inc. (AHIC) - Follow-up Survey on the Economic Impact of the Equine Influenza Emergency
AHIC previously ran a survey on the initial economic impact of the Equine Influenza (EI) emergency. This was a very informative exercise because it highlighted the profound and widespread impact of the emergency on the national horse industry in the first 6 weeks of the outbreak. The information gained was passed on to the Commonwealth and State Governments to alert them to the plight of many industry participants. It enabled Governments to allocate much needed funds to assist the horse industry to get through the crisis.
This is a follow-up survey to get an idea of the amount of economic impact over the past 4 months or so. The information gained will be essential for the AHIC in our interactions with Governments on behalf of the horse industry. There will be a need for continued financial and other support over the coming months even if EI is eradicated in the next couple of months. This information will also be essential in making submissions to Governments about future assistance to the horse industry should an emergency disease situation arise again. This economic information will supplement that gained from other AHIC surveys.

I urge you to complete the survey. There are questions relating to individual, business, and not-for-profit organisation losses/costs. The AHIC would be grateful if you could complete the part or parts of the survey that apply to you and your organisation. A summary of the results will be circulated for information via the AHIC web site.

Barry Smyth

President

Complete the survey

Comment on "Decision looms on horse expo date'

Perhaps the racing club could host the expo.
It seems that racing has continued without a hitch so perhaps the expo could be hosted at the track, I'm sure they have all the bio-security etc that would be required!
It seems that the 'recreational' industry is again held to ransom while the industry that brings in revenue for the Government continues on it's own merry way!
Shirley
Qld

Showjumping is back at Tamworth.

Tamworth P & A Assn will be holding the Horseland Tamworth “Jumping in the Purple” on the 16^th & 17^th of February 2008 at the Tamworth Showground. With an unofficial ring and an official ring both days.

Horses must be from the purple zone to enter and have all the relevant paper work with their entries. Programme attached or see NSW Showjumping Council web page.

Decision looms on horse expo date

Organisers of Rockhampton's Horse Expo, in central Queensland, say they are unsure when the event would be held if it has to be postponed.
The expo is due to be held in May, but chairman Geoff Murphy says they want to ensure that Australia is definitely clear of equine influenza and precautionary controls are in place before the expo goes ahead.
Mr Murphy says a decision will be made by the end of this month, but it appears likely there will be some deferral.
"Look, I would say that at this stage I think it's less likely to go ahead in May and maybe we will have to postpone it until later on in the year," he said.
"We're looking at all of the alternatives and speaking with government about it so, no, we haven't formed any firm views of exactly how far we might have to push it out."

Race meetings return to normal

Western Victorian race meetings will be back to normal from today, after the lifting of race day biosecurity protocols.
The race-going public has been separated from the horses, trainers and strappers by wire fences at race courses and trotting tracks since the equine influenza outbreak in August last year.
Mildura Harness Racing Club's Mark Kemp says it will be a relief not to have to put the bans in place for tonight's meeting.
"People cooperated really, really well with it, but having said that there were several complaints about the fact that people couldn't get from one side to the other and as an administrator I am very, very happy," he said.

Racing finally shakes off equine influenza crisis

AUSTRALIA'S equine influenza crisis is over and a day at the races will return to normal, starting at Echuca today.

While the cost of EI has run into the hundreds of millions of dollars, and is rising, the disease itself has been beaten.
The Department of Primary Industry and Racing Victoria Limited will announce on Thursday morning that the virus has almost certainly burned out.
The DPI and RVL met yesterday and will meet again tomorrow with key industry players. DPI chief veterinary surgeon Dr Hugh Millar reported yesterday there had been no EI outbreaks since well before Christmas.
Dr Millar said final tests in purple zones, where EI ran rampant, would be finalised soon and movement bans would be abolished by mid-March.
He said quarantine regulations of three days each side of the journey between previously infected areas of New South Wales and Victoria would be reduced to one day within weeks.
Interstate trainers who had baulked at sending horses to Melbourne's upcoming summer racing festival now have little reason to stay away.
Key carnival contenders Takeover Target and De Lightning Ridge, the Canberra-trained Blue Diamond Stakes favourite, are now probable runners.
Trainer Joe Janiak, keen to tackle the big summer sprints, had been waiting for weeks to hear news about a relaxation of travel restrictions.
RVL chief executive Stephen Allanson said racing in Victoria would now be "virtually back to normal".
"Of course there is still the huge cost of EI to deal with, but all the barricades which have driven everybody mad will come down and I think we're very close to declaring ourselves officially over this disease. I'm expecting that announcement within days," Allanson said.
He said EI had cost the racing industry $15 million through lost turnover and hundreds of millions in other areas, such as the breeding industry.
Equine influenza invaded Australia for the first time in August last year, believed to have been carried into the Eastern Creek quarantine centre in Sydney by an imported stallion.
It spread like wildfire through most of NSW and southern Queensland.
Dr Millar said he was confident there would be no new cases.
"We're going to be very vigilant with on-going testing but it is looking very, very good," Dr Millar said.
EI horse and human movement restrictions caused huge headaches through the spring carnival.
Owners and trainers were separated at the races, owners were banned from trackwork and jockeys and strappers endured extreme bio-security hygiene protocols.

EI hits Slipper entries

THE worrying impact of equine influenza on two-year-olds was realised for the first time yesterday after the number of first acceptances for the Golden Slipper plummeted 50 per cent.

The STC attracted just 765 acceptances from 2129 nominations taken last July. Last year, there were 2216 nominations with 1537 first acceptances taken.
STC racing manager John Nicholson said the huge drop was half-expected given the havoc EI caused for the NSW and Queensland racing industries during the second half of 2007.
"Horses never got the chance to be broken in late last year let alone make the paddock, so a lot of horses wouldn't have been ready for the Slipper this year," Nicholson said.
"But I do know it's still going to take a good horse with ability to win the race."
Trainer Gai Waterhouse's $2 million colt Seventh Reason was paid up while Mount Olympus, last year's Easter sale-topper at $3 million, was a surprise omission.

Anger at Brumbies cull

RENEWED calls for a cull of wild brumbies in Kosciuszko National Park have prompted a former National Party MP to act as a human shield by riding among the herds.

But the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service yesterday said no cull was being considered, and that horses in the park could be effectively managed by trapping and moving some of them.
The former federal National Party member for Monaro Peter Cochran, who owns a commercial horseriding operation in the area, said he would do whatever it took to stop horses being taken away.
"If it means that we get in amongst the brumbies to make sure they don't go in to the traps, then we'll do that. If it means we have to get in the way of aerial shooting, we'll do that," Mr Cochran told ABC radio.
The brumbies are blamed for trampling native vegetation and destroying waterways in the park, and the National Parks Association of NSW yesterday called for a resumption of aerial shooting, which was banned six years ago after a public outcry.
The Parks and Wildlife Service has prepared a draft plan for trapping and managing the horses. It will be considered by the Government. If approved, it will be adopted in March, and trapping would then resume.

Femme fatale's co-star forced to clean up his act

(Right) Stage fright? Trainer Steve Jefferys, Drummer and Kristin Chavez, playing Carmen, take their cue from Maiko Natsukawa cleaning up after the extras.
Photo: Bob Pearce

A MONKEY was sacked because of mischievous behaviour and chickens fell off the stage into the orchestra pit in previous productions at the Opera House, but the newest animal recruits, horses Jameison and Drummer, were true professionals when they met their fellow cast members on stage.

Drummer and Jameison, who will be performing in the production of Bizet's Carmen, prepared for their big day by wearing rubber boots so they did not slip on the polished floor.
They entered the Opera House on Friday through the stage door for a practice run to get them accustomed to the lights and sounds of the stage.
Despite their previous theatrical experience in shows such as The Man From Snowy River arena spectacular and a Military Tattoo, Steve Jefferys, their trainer, said they needed to get used to the new surroundings.
The horses have been training with the opera cast members in preparation for their first performance on January 24.
"The biggest challenge is to get the riders used to the horses and the horses used to the riders," Mr Jefferys said.
The director of technical production, Chris Potter, said that it has been hard work to get the horses to the Opera House but that they had become opera connoisseurs during the process.
"We gave Steve three CDs of Carmen so that the horses had it played to them."
The horses, after being loaded onto a lift to take them to the stage, were reunited with their co-stars Kirstin Chavez, who plays Carmen, and Michael Todd Simpson, who plays Escamillo.
Simpson grew up around horses but neither of the opera singers had ridden horses while performing an aria before.
Drummer seemed comfortable when Simpson practised riding him onto stage while singing the famous Toreador Song. "I sing to him every night. We've been skyping," he said.
The set, which evokes 1830s Spain with rich ochre-coloured walls, took on a new level of reality when Drummer relieved himself on the stage. This production of Carmen was created for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and is directed by Francesca Zambello. It will be conducted by Richard Hickox, Opera Australia's music director.
Carmen will be performed at the Opera Theatre of the Opera House from January 24 until March 28.

Authorities promise 'humane' brumby cull

The New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service says any cull of wild horse numbers in the Kosciuszko National Park will be done humanely.The parks service is planning to remove hundreds of horses it says are damaging the sensitive alpine environment.
However, the Bush Users Group says the horses are part of Kosciuszko's history and warns that its members will put themselves in the way of shooters using helicopters or make sure the brumbies do not get caught in traps.
The parks service says it is planning to remove only enough horses to keep the herds from over-breeding. It has deemed the group's "greenpeace tactics" an overreaction.

Horse flu measures eased as harness club holds meeting

The Bendigo Harness Racing Club has held its first meeting since the lifting of raceday biosecurity measures relating to equine flu.
Earlier this week, Victoria's chief vet, Dr Hugh Miller, said horse handlers and spectators could again mingle trackside at the central Victorian club.
The club held a meeting last night.
A spokesman, Barry Edwards, says the costs associated with the bans over the past five months will have a big impact on the industry.
"Our costs are going to be reimbursed by Harness Racing Victoria, but the costs to the industry are going to be astronomical actually," he said.
"I wouldn't know what they would be, but they would be hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars."

Horse flu vaccination scheme nears end

The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (DPI) is hoping the vaccination program against horse flu will be complete by the end of February.
First round vaccinations are scheduled to finish on February 3 and the DPI says flu-free horses in the purple zone must be registered for vaccination by January 21.

From February 4 only horses that have been vaccinated or have recovered from equine flu will be allowed to move in the purple zone.
DPI deputy chief veterinary officer Graham Eggleston says the process is aimed at getting the state free of equine flu as soon as possible.
"So a key part of that is ensuring that only horses that can't possibly spread the disease if there is any pockets left, which we don't believe there is at this point in time, but that all horses that move in the purple zone need to be vaccinated or must be recovered if they move around after the fourth of February to allow that eradication program to progress," he said.