Victorian Non-profit Grants

A quick reminder about the second round Victorian Non-profit Grants for organisations that cancelled competition events in Nov and Dec 2007.

The closing date has been extended from 31 January to Friday 15 February 2008.

Can you please forward this on to your clubs and members. The link below will take you directly to the DPI website where all the information can be found.

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/DPI/nrenfa.nsf/LinkView/E32D615C19D102C6CA2573B60075BA273EB5B6D57478C0B6CA2573CB00101C13

Horse owners go green

HORSE owners are being shown how to reduce their impact on the environment as pressure from councils and regulatory agencies mounts. Industry organisation HorseSA has published guidelines for horse keepers, with the reduction of pollution in mind. Project manager of Horses Land and Water Julie Fiedler said the association had decided it was "better to take the lead than be led".
"We wanted to be on the front foot working with regulatory agencies, the Environment Protection Authority or local government, setting agreed standards for horse-keeping that are acceptable to the industry," she said.
"We saw a need - but it was quite difficult at the start, because we came from a background with conflict."
The voluntary guidelines ask horse-keepers to prevent erosion and stop the nutrients from manure, fertiliser, pesticides or veterinary products entering waterways.
An action planner has been prepared to accompany the guidelines in a package available nationwide.
HorseSA chairwoman Helen Whittle said many people wanted tips about better horse-property management.
"They love the lifestyle, but tend to be people that don't have any knowledge of how to look after the place," she said.
"And they are often buying places that have been run down."
She said she admired the good work done at a 35ha property at Scott Creek, where owners Sandy and Jim ripped out willow trees, broom and blackberry to plant native vegetation.

Manure is good: New Scientist

ENGLAND – Scientists have proven what many who work in the thoroughbred racing and breeding industry may have suspected for years – manure is good for you.

The New Scientist magazine has reported that working with manure can drastically reduce chances of developing lung cancer, with a study showing that dairy farmers were five times less likely than the general population to develop the disease.

It found farmers typically breathed in dust that consisted largely of dried manure, and all the bacteria that grew in it.

"As strange as it sounds, epidemiologists are starting to uncover unexpected links between our exposure to dirt and germs, and our risk of cancer later in life," the report said.

New Scientist said adults who had a greater exposure to germs than usual might build up a better resistance to bugs, including cancer.

"Some researchers are starting to wonder whether the higher incidence of certain cancers in affluent populations - including breast cancer, lymphoma and melanoma - might also have something to do with sanitised, infection-free living," it said.

"If they're right, the implications are huge. If we can understand exactly what it is about some germs that has a protective effect, we should be able to reduce people's risk of developing certain tumours later in life by exposing them to harmless microbes."

PLANNED CHANGES TO THE VARIOUS ZONES IN NSW AND QLD PLANNED FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS

EQUINE INFLUENZA INFORMATION FROM THE AUSTRALIAN HORSE INDUSTRY COUNCIL



The Consultative Committee on Emergency Animal Diseases and the National Emergency Animal Disease Management Group have been closely monitoring progress of the emergency response to the Equine Influenza (EI) incursion. The control and eradication efforts have produced results much more quickly than anticipated over the past month or so. Active and passive surveillance for the presence of EI, supplemented by extensive testing, indicates that the last infection in NSW was about 9 December 2007, and in QLD 25 December 2007. In response to this information, it is now possible to be making decisions that originally were planned for March and April. Decisions have been made to reduce the areas of amber, red and purple zones more quickly than originally planned. You can see on the coloured diagrams at www.horsecouncil.org.au/_upload/files/timeline.ppt that the ultimate plan is for all coloured areas to be resolved by 30 June 2008. This assumes that no further infections are found. If infection is detected, then a revised plan will need to be implemented surrounding the area of infection. There will be reimposition of movement controls and vaccination in the affected area. The horse industry can assist the eradication effort greatly by continuing to practise the biosecurity measures that have been outlined over the past 5 months. It is critical that any suspicion of infection is reported immediately to the DPI so that testing can be undertaken to detect any EI infection. It remains important that horse owners and carers continue the good efforts that have allowed this revised strategy to be implemented. Over the coming months immunity (whether by infection or vaccination) will start to wane and horses will become susceptible to infection again. It is critical that all EI is eliminated before this reduction in immunity happens.
Copyright 2005 Australian Horse Industry Council