Rodeos to be monitored by RSPCA

Tasmanian rodeo organisers say extra scrutiny of this year's Australia Day events won't reveal any animal welfare problems.
The RSCPA will increase its monitoring of the state's rodeos this year, after doubling its number of welfare inspectors.
But Brian Bond, organiser of the Ulverstone rodeo in Tasmania's north-west, says there's nothing to hide and inspectors are welcome.
"We're terribly responsible about the way we handle our animals," he says.
"I just ask members of the public and the RSPCA to try to familiarise themselves a bit more with the sport.
"There are a number of people that make a lot of false accusations about what we do and how we do it, and it's only ignorance that allows this to happen."

Vets call for biosecurity change

The Australian Veterinary Association says more qualified people need to be put in charge of national biosecurity.
The AVA has made a wide-ranging submission to the federal inquiry into equine influenza.
AVA president, Dr Diane Sheehan, believes animal health professionals have struggled to have their concerns heard by senior bureaucrats, who don't have the same qualifications.
"You need people with the appropriate qualifications, and that includes veterinary qualifications, PhDs, and that the quality of the person that should be feeding that information throughout the department", she says.
"Those people have the contacts, and can monitor what's happening overseas and can put it into a better package, and I think that the department overall will be the winners."

NSW as at 24th January 2008.

Recent vs older cases

The graph below shows the changing numbers of recent and older cases over time, as well as the number of infected premises that have been resolved.

• Recent cases (red bars) are ones which have been reported as infected within the last 21 days and are likely to still be actively infected.
• Older cases (blue bars) are ones that have been infected for more than 21 days.
• Resolved cases (green bars) are ones that have been assessed and are no longer considered to be infected.

As can be seen, the number of recent cases reached a peak in late September, started to decline from about the second week of October and is now down to zero (0). Numbers of older cases has also decreased rapidly since late November, as increasing numbers of IPs are resolved. There are now 14 cases remaining to be resolved, out of a total of about 5,800 cases for the entire outbreak.

Weekly epidemic curve

The graph below shows the number of new infected premises recorded each week of the outbreak since 25 August, as well as the 3-week rolling average number of new cases (red line). Numbers of new cases increased rapidly in the first few weeks, reaching a peak of about 1,000 cases in the 4th week (late September). Numbers of new cases have declined substantially since about week 7. During weeks 11-14 (early November to early December) the number of new cases averaged about 50 per week and has declined further during December to less than 5 per week.

There have been no new cases since the 24th December 2007.

New infected premises

There have been no new infections confirmed by laboratory tests since 24th December 2007.

Proof of immunity info

SYDNEY - From 4 February 2008, until owners are advised otherwise, only horses that can be proved to be immune to EI infection will be able to move within the Purple Zone.

These horses will also need a travelling horse statement to move.

The documentation best used to demonstrate a horse’s proof of immunity is the Certificate of Immunity: this certificate is completed by your vet and certifies that a horse is considered ‘immune’ to equine influenza (EI) on the basis of having recovered from infection (recovered horse) or being appropriately vaccinated with ProteqFlu vaccine (approved vaccine).

Both the old Horse Health Certificates and the Vaccination Certificates have been successfully used to provide horse status information, but the Certificate of Immunity is the preferred format.

If your property was an infected property but has now been ‘resolved’ (cleared), your horses may well now be immune to EI.

However, you will still need a certificate of immunity in order to move any of those horses within the Purple Zone from 4 February 2008.

The Certificate of Immunity is also currently being used for movements of horses into the Purple Zone from lower risk areas, and to document the status of recovered horses in Amber and Red zones when applying for a permit to move these horses within their own zone.

Farm trainers want youth day cut

WARWICK FARM trainers last night were up in arms after learning their Randwick counterparts will be compensated up to $1500 a horse in training per week when they are forced out of Randwick for three months because of the World Youth Day celebrations that will take place at the course in July.Renovations are set to take place at Warwick Farm involving the construction of an underground horse tunnel and a new synthetic track, the building of which will interrupt trackwork by restricting time in the morning available to work horses.A meeting between the Australian Jockey Club, Racing NSW and Warwick Farm trainers yesterday addressed matters including safety issues involved with the building of additional tie-up stalls for trackwork.
But it was when an AJC representative revealed the relocated Randwick trainers would receive $1500 a horse per week in compensation that the Warwick Farm brigade hit boiling point.
The figure for Randwick trainers is based on increased working costs and business interruptions, with factors including veterinarians, farriers, staff, accommodation and transport taken into account. The money will come from the government and the Catholic Church.
"Somehow those in charge seem to think that we that are already at Warwick Farm are not going to have any interruptions," Peter Snowden, who trains for Bob Ingham's Crown Lodge, said yesterday. "We will have to move some of our horses at times to other tracks for fast work with the renovations taking place at Warwick Farm.
"But the AJC told us we wouldn't even be getting reimbursed for a simple thing like petrol. It is not our choice to have to move around. The Randwick trainers are being well looked after but we are getting nothing at all. The situation is ridiculous."
Racing NSW's general manager racing and commercial, Greg Rudolph, last night said racing's ruling body was sympathetic to the Warwick Farm trainers and "we will be stepping in to make sure they are looked after".
"We can't have the Warwick Farm trainers being any worse off because of a situation that is beyond their control," Rudolph said. "Negotiations will take place again to ensure everyone gets what they are entitled to."

Coughing horse still a mystery

The identity of a coughing horse feared linked to a breakdown in Sydney's quarantine station remains a mystery, despite a call by the horse flu inquiry for the animal's owner to come forward.

The inquiry is trying to establish if a coughing horse at an equestrian event in Maitland, in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, last August is linked to the breakdown.
Competitors who attended have told the inquiry they heard and saw a horse coughing, but could not identify the animal.
That prompted the Commissioner, retired High Court judge Ian Callinan, to call on the owner of the sick horse to come forward.
He acknowledged the person may be afraid and therefore said he would consider allowing them to remain anonymous.
But a month after issuing the plea, the Commissioner's call has gone unanswered.
The inquiry will this week hear from horse transport companies.