Horse movement restrictions to be eased in February

Horse industries battling against the Equine Influenza (EI) epidemic will enter a crucial stage of recovery when new arrangements currently under consideration take effect to ease horse
movement restrictions, Victoria’s Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Hugh Millar announced today.
“This could be as early as 1 February 2008 if all goes to plan,” Dr Millar said.
“Strong evidence shows the disease is close to eradication in NSW and Queensland and with no
new EI cases reported since 21 December 2007, the epidemic could be over by mid March.”
Dr Millar said as part of the national arrangements expected to be introduced next month, current movement restrictions will be eased to facilitate horse movements between disease-free ‘Green Zones’ in EI affected States and Victoria.
“The new measures are an important step in assisting horse industries to make a swift recovery and we expect the new arrangements will have a massive impact on many horse owners,” Dr Millar said.
He said surveillance measures will continue and horses moving to Victoria from restricted areas will continue to be subject to strict importation and isolation arrangements.
Movement of horses from NSW and Queensland into Victoria is still banned without a permit
supplied by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
“In consultation with Racing Victoria, we have determined biosecurity measures at race meetings can also now be eased,” Dr Millar said.
“Recreational horse groups can now resume events confident that the disease has been kept out of Victoria.
“Keeping Victoria free of EI is still our priority and we will not take any actions to put our
healthy horses under threat.
“Horse owners have made costly sacrifices over the past five months and have worked closely
with the DPI to keep the disease out of Victoria.
“Our eradication and containment strategies appear to be doing the job, but we need to remember a small element of risk remains until the disease is completely and demonstrably gone from the affected areas of NSW and Queensland.”

Horse events resume on Fraser Coast

The Maryborough City Council has taken a major step toward the resumption of horse activities on south-east Queensland's Fraser Coast.
From today, Maryborough Park will be open for horse events under strict conditions.
Owners of green zone horses must disclose the previous movements of their animals while red and amber zone horses must have permission to travel from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
But Acting Mayor Julie Arthur says the venue is not yet open to individuals who want to train or exercise their horses.
"I would encourage anybody who is interested in doing that sort of activity, either to work with their respective club and perhaps organise a club event, or talk to the manager of Maryborough Park," she said.
"I'm sure that with a few ideas around the table, we could overcome those situations."

Tough protocols as WA opens EI quarantine check points

The Eucla and Laverton quarantine check points will be enforcing tough entry protocols after the Western Australian Government opened the border to horses from states infected with equine influenza.
The Department of Agriculture has implemented new entry protocols in the wake of the equine influenza outbreak which crippled the New South Wales and Queensland horse industries.
Horses entering the state from those areas will now be required to undergo quarantine and testing both before and after crossing the border.
Department spokesman Ashley Mercy says the risk of EI entering WA is low.
"I doubt that there'll be a lot of horses from those two states wanting to come to Western Australia," he said.
"There'll be some, but already we've had over 300 horses from the non-infected states come into WA over the past three to four months."

WA lifts horse flu ban

For the first time in five months, horses from New South Wales and Queensland will be free to travel to Western Australia.
WA's Department of Agriculture says re-opening the border will not pose a risk of transmitting equine influenza.
Horses will undergo strict testing and isolation procedures.

Horse flu eradication on target

Australia's main thoroughbred yearling sales will go ahead this year, but the industry is expecting a price correction.

The nation's chief vet is confident equine influenza will be completely eradicated within months, and export markets reopened.
Mark Webster, from thoroughbred auctioneers William Inglis and Sons, says the virus will affect the yearling sales, and prices could drop by 10 per cent.
"For the last few year, the last three or four years, the prices in Australia have been climbing," he says.
"Last year, there was a 20 per cent increase on the year before, so it is hard to sustain that sort of growth and there may be a minor correction but we're not expecting a fall of 30 or 40 per cent which is certainly what we were thinking back in October".

SA vaccination begins

ADELAIDE - Police horses were the first to be vaccinated against equine influenza in South Australia after the National Management Group, coordinating the eradication program for equine influenza, agreed to industry requests for the release of 3200 vaccine doses for use in South Australia.

The vaccine was allocated to protect sectors of the horse industry with high economic value or particular public benefit.

“Vaccination is only to stop horses from getting sick if EI should be brought into South Australia,” said SA Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Rob Rahaley.

Quarantine facilities have been identified at four possible SA sites.

The SA racing industry expects to have completed a vaccination program of horses by the end of the January. In the racing and equestrian groups, vaccination will be done at the industry’s cost.

“It is important for horse owners to understand that vaccination does not mean horses can move freely if infection reached our state. The use of the vaccine in these targeted groups is an insurance policy to stop these horses from becoming sick and allow the horses to resume activities as soon as possible,” Dr Rahaley said.

Specialist equine vets have received training by PIRSA in the use of the vaccine; there are strict guidelines on the use and administration of the vaccine, including the requirement for horses to be accurately identified, including microchipping in some cases.

The vaccine selected for use in Australia has the advantage of allowing laboratory tests can distinguish between horses vaccinated with it compared with horses that are infected with the disease.

More than 66 equestrian events have been approved by the SA Department of Primary Industries, but event organisers are being asked submit their permit applications well in advance of the event they are organising.

Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Rob Rahaley said that depending on the type of event planned, some permit assessments could take several days.

“It’s not simply a rubber stamping process,” he said. “Staff not only assess the application but often contact the applicants to discuss possible improvements and for clarification of the organiser’s biosecurity and contingency plans.

“We need to be assured that event organisers and event participants both understand and are able to manage the risks and the implications of a potential disease outbreak in this state.”

Dr Rahaley said “Ideally, event organisers should submit their permits at least one month ahead of the planned event.”

Each event receiving approval is given a unique number and horse owners wanting to take their animals to an approved event need to complete an Event

Participant Declaration and include the permit number on the Declaration.

“We are working hard to facilitate a resumption of horse activities but for as long as equine influenza remains in Australia, we must manage the risk involved with horses and people gathering,” Dr Rahaley said.

For more information phone 1800 675 888 or visit http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/horseflu

The equine flu crisis is coming to an end

NSW should be free of the insidious horse flu virus within weeks, it will be announced today.

The State Government is hoping that all traces of the equine flu that has gripped the state and crippled the racing industry should be cleared by the end of March, finally allowing horse owners to move freely around the state.
Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'Landys said the announcement was like "winning the lottery" for many in the industry who had been unable to move their horses due to the restrictive zones.
"It is a godsend," he said. "There are so many regulations at the moment it is making life extremely difficult."
Acting Minister for Primary Industries Verity Firth warned the clearance would depend on no new cases emerging in the next few weeks.
"This is the best possible news for our horse industries, but I stress this all hinges on not one more single case in the coming weeks.
But it is a real possibility and one the Iemma Government and the state's horse industries are working towards. In fact, in NSW the last horse to test positive was on December 21.
"The horses involved probably became infected in early December."
The equine flu first reared its head in NSW in about August last year and devastated horse racing in Australia, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue and causing mass unemployment.

EI ban to eased for horses entering Vic

Victoria could ease its ban on horses entering the state without a permit as the threat of equine influenza (EI) starts to subside in NSW and Queensland.

Victoria's chief veterinary officer Dr Hugh Millar said the new arrangements to ease the movements of horses could be introduced by February 1.
"Strong evidence shows the disease is close to eradication in NSW and Queensland and with no new EI cases reported since December 21, the epidemic could be over by March 1," Dr Millar said.
The EI outbreak last year devastated the racing industry in NSW and Queensland where racing was banned for a period and had threatened to disrupt the Spring Carnival at Flemington in Victoria, including the running of the Melbourne Cup.
Dr Millar said as part of the national arrangements expected to be brought in next month, current movement restrictions would be eased to allow horse movements between disease-free "green zones" in EI-affected states and Victoria.
He said the new arrangements would assist the industry to make a swift recovery.
But surveillance measures will continue on Victoria's northern border and horses coming into the state from restricted areas will continue to be subject to strict importation and isolation arrangements.

Authorities confident EI contained

The future is finally looking brighter for the Australian racing industry with government authorities announcing on Wednesday they are confident the equine influenza (EI) virus has been contained.
Dr Andy Carroll, Australia's chief veterinary officer, reported that less than 1,000 properties were now considered infected premises adding that there had been no new outbreaks of EI since December 22.
"Since reaching a high of some ten thousand infected premises in October/November last year, we now have less than one thousand infected premises indicating that our strategy in combating the disease has been highly successful," Dr Carroll said.
"This success will increasingly allow non-risk horses to move more freely around Australia and combined with the use of vaccination, to participate more freely in horse sales and other events.
"This is a great development in getting our horse industry and horse sports back on track."
Officials from Biosecurity Australia and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) are continuing negotiations with several countries, including Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore, to re-open Australia's horse export market.
However, Dr Carroll warned horse owners still needed to adhere to the biosecurity and horse movement restrictions in place.
"We are winning the battle against the disease and we are increasingly optimistic that horse flu will be eradicated much earlier than previously expected," he said.
"But it only takes one person to do the wrong thing and we could face a major setback."
The first case of EI in Australia was confirmed on August 23 in a stallion housed at the Eastern Creek quarantine centre near Sydney.
The subsequent outbreak of the virus in NSW and Queensland virtually shut down racing in both states for more than three months, costing the racing and breeding industries millions of dollars.
Racing finally returned to metropolitan centres in Sydney and Brisbane on December 1.

Qld's quarantine facility clears horses

A new quarantine area set up to allow the horse racing industry to improve travel in the lead-up to Queensland's winter racing carnival has turned out its first draft of horses from quarantine.
Grandview Stud, at Peak Crossing, south-west of Brisbane, is being used to ensure horses test negative for equine influenza (EI) before they are moved between red, amber and green zones within Queensland and interstate.
Queensland Racing Limited (QRL) chief operations manager Malcolm Tuttle said 17 horses were leaving the stud this week for Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Victoria and northern NSW after a week in quarantine.
Before its opening, Mr Tuttle said racehorse owners from interstate would think twice about sending their horses into Queensland if QRL could not facilitate their return.
"Top of our mind is the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival that before too long will be upon us, and also the need to free up movement of horses," he said.

Trainers relieved at tax ruling on horse flu compensation

Queensland Harness Racing says a decision by the tax office not to tax horse trainers on horse flu compensation payments will save the industry millions.
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has confirmed hobby trainers will not have to pay tax on the daily assistance payment, after Queensland and New South Wales racing organisations fought to have it dropped.
Horse trainers have to pass the cost onto owners, and Queensland Harness Racing CEO Andrew Kelly says they would have been paying tax on money they did not have."It's been a very important decision for many hobbyists within the racing industry," he said.
"Eighty-seven per cent of our participants are structured in a hobbyist manner, so this is an important decision to them particularly come the 30th of June."

Horses on the move after quarantine stay

Queensland Racing says more racehorses are heading to New South Wales after being successfully quarantined in south-east Queensland to prevent the spread of equine influenza.
CEO Malcolm Tuttle says 17 thoroughbreds were successfully quarantined for seven days, with 12 already on their way to Victoria, Bundaberg and Rockhampton.
Mr Tuttle says the last five horses will cross the New South Wales border today.
"Some of the horses were heading down to New South Wales, we had a handful heading down to Victoria and some up into the Rockhampton area," he said.
"It's been terrific for the industry that we've been able to facilitate the movement of these horses."