More than 90pc of NSW 'horse flu free'

Eight regions in New South Wales considered hot spots for equine influenza (EI) have today been given a clean bill of health.

Ninety-one per cent of the state has now been declared free of EI, five months after the first outbreak of the contagious virus.
Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald says testing has failed to identify horse flu at Armidale, Narrabri, Gunnedah, Dubbo, Wellington, Parkes, Forbes and Grenfell, and they have now been moved into the white zone.
Horses within the zone will now be allowed to travel freely and across borders provided they have a Travelling Horse Statement.
More testing is being done in the Blue Mountains and in a small area south of the Hawkesbury, near Wollongong, which remain in the red zone.

NSW as of 7th February 2008.

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 1000 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 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.

NSW Map as of 8th February 2008.

**Click on the map to enlarge**

Shooting ferals from on high

Aboriginal communities will soon be trained to shoot feral animals from helicopters.

It's estimated that there are more than 100,000 feral donkeys and horses in the Katherine region, south of Darwin.
The Northern Territory Government has partnered with several Indigenous and environmental organisations, to provide funding to train a team of Aboriginal aerial shooters.
Senior scientist Dr Anne Walters says the program isn't just about eradicating the animals.
"You know, there's a social element as well as an environmental benefit, so we're trying to cover as much within one project as we possibly can", she says.

Horse flu concerns postpone major event

One of the country's biggest horse events has been postponed because of uncertainty over Equine Influenza (EI) movement restrictions.
Horse Australia officials met yesterday afternoon and decided it was too risky to go ahead with the trade show, horse events, and workshops scheduled for Rockhampton in southern Queensland in May.

Horse Australia chairman Geoff Murphy says it is unclear if it will even go ahead this year.
"We accept that there is a green zone here, but in the south-east corner it's not a green zone yet," he said.
"We have considered all the information but we think it is too risky to run it.
"We are going to wait and see what happens over the next month to see if anything becomes clearer for us."

Horse flu prompts farmers to lift farm biosecurity

The horse flu outbreak has prompted more than a third of all livestock producers to change their practices and protect livestock from diseases.

Research findings released today by Animal Health Australia show while 72pc of farmers feel they are now well informed about how animal diseases can be spread, many don’t actually understand where they may be vulnerable.
AHA manager disease risk mitigation, Duncan Rowland, said the EI outbreak had led to a new focus on farm biosecurity for all livestock producers, not just those with horses.
"2007 gave us a sobering reminder of the need for good farm biosecurity practices to protect livestock from disease, as producers could see how much horse owners and the industry as a whole were suffering," Mr Rowland said.
He said despite livestock producers’ fresh interest and concern, the survey showed many didn’t necessarily understand the risks.
"While many producers thought moving animals would be the most likely way to transmit disease – and they’re right – only 17pc saw people movement as a high risk, which is of concern," Mr Rowland said.
"During the EI outbreak we saw that much of the disease spread was actually caused by people and equipment as they carried disease from one horse to the next."
Other research highlights included:
* 68pc of farmers feel confident their farm would be protected in the event of a disease outbreak.
* Horse owners were the most likely to have changed the way they operate, with nearly half completely reviewing their procedures.
* Horse owners were the most proactive in changing the daily operations of their farm to strengthen biosecurity. However, they were the least confident that their property would be fully protected.

SOURCE: FarmOnline.

Metro pacing back on track

AFTER five long months metropolitan racing finally returns to Harold Park Paceway tonight.

Restricted class meetings have been conducted at the inner-city circuit since the start of January but tonight will be the first time participants have a chance to get their hands on metropolitan prizemoney since August 24.
Harold Park CEO John Dumesny believes the meeting signifies that the industry in this state is on the road to recovery following the devastating equine influenza outbreak.
"The past couple of months have been some of the worst on record but the fact that we are back to metropolitan racing only means that it will get better from here," Dumesny said.
Harold Park will run the popular 10 for 30 night tonight, which gives punters $30 in drink and food vouchers for their $10 entry to the track.
The Club will also be announcing the winners of its "Race A Pacer" competition which will give 10 lucky patrons ownership in a ready-to-race two-year-old filly named Armbro Forall, trained by Blake Fitzpatrick, until she is four.
The NSWHRC will pay for all the costs of racing the filly and all people have to do is be present at the track when the winners are drawn.

THE Department of Primary Industries yesterday granted Barry Lew permission to travel Karloo Mick to Victoria for the InterDominion - but the Dubbo trainer feels it is two weeks too late.
Lew won't be starting his star pacer because he doesn't think he's had enough hard racing to be competitive in the series, which begins at Geelong on February 16.
"The DPI has given me the green light to travel in to Victoria but the horse will not be going," Lew said.
"I would have loved for him to be competing down there by I just don't have enough time."
Following the withdrawal of Karloo Mick, NSW now has only five horses - Divisive, Special Albert, Amorts, Iron Realm and Just Pretend - in the final acceptances released by Harness Racing Victoria yesterday.

Comment on My horses feet are falling apart!.

I find this post very interesting.

KC - there is no restriction on farriers working so perhaps there is another reason why you cannot get a farrier. Mine was prepared to come to my property even when we were in quarantine.

"EI ... is about 15kms away". You have contacted the DPI and told them that there are active cases in your area? As horse owners it is to our benefit to assist the DPI with this information if we really want EI gone.

MM

Horse off course: May Expo Postponed

Directors of Beef Australia Ltd met yesterday to discuss the fate of Horse Australia 2008, which was to be held in Rockhampton, Queensland from the 1st to 4th of May 2008.
Though Queensland is due to be declared EI free sometime between March and June, organisers have decided to postpone the event until later in the year due to the continued uncertainty in the industry caused by the EI outbreak and general disruption to competition.
Beef Australia Ltd is currently reviewing the logistics of moving the Expo to coincide with Paradise Lagoons Campdraft that has been postponed until the 18th, 19th and 20th of July 2008.
To extend beyond July 2008 is not possible for event organisers who are also planning the Beef Australia 2009 Expo which is scheduled to run in Rockhampton from the 4th to 8th of May next year.
Event Manager Noel Landry said “It is also possible we might postpone the event altogether and instead have elements of the Horse Expo wrapped into Beef Australia 2009. We, along with government and performance and pleasure horse industry representatives are doing our utmost to ensure that there will be a Horse Australia Expo to look forward to.”
Event managers appreciate the support provided by sponsors and trade exhibitors to date and wish to reassure them that they will receive full refunds of monies if they are not able to accommodate a postponement.
Mr Landry said his staff would also be contacting suppliers, seminar speakers and others contracted to the Expo to work through any issues arising from the decision.
A firm decision on a final date should be announced at the end of the month.

EI sullies road to Olympics

THE Equine Influenza (EI) epidemic has sullied the road to the Beijing Olympics for Australia's elite equestrian riders, but jumping such a hurdle would make victory even sweeter. Since last August, equine influenza (EI) has swept stables across New South Wales and Queensland, prompting a coordinated response from authorities and restricting horse movements.
About 150,000 horses were infected when the virus reached its zenith in October. Australia's chief vet Andy Carroll says that number has now dwindled to about 150.
Events on Australia's equestrian calendar have been erased, with Monday's dressage qualifier event in Sydney the first major event since August, 2007.
Equestrian Federation of Australia high performance manager, Brett Mace, said EI has brought the sport to its knees, with the lack of local competition forcing riders to move overseas and be away from their families ahead of the Games.
"There has never been anything like this," he told AAP.
"A lot of our riders are professional riders and most of them haven't had any income since August.
"Some riders in the team, their horses have had EI, which has thrown their whole season out."About one fifth, or six out of 31 horses, preparing for the Games - contracted EI but have now been given the all clear.
Mace said victory in Hong Kong - where the Olympic equestrian events will be staged with Australia a gold medal chance in team eventing - would be even sweeter after the struggle with EI.
"Given EI it is going to be a big effort by everybody to get to the Games," he said.
"The sacrifices will be even bigger because we have had to go overseas to get any competition."
The Australian equestrian Olympic team will be named on July 4. The equestrian will be held in Hong Kong from August 9-21.
Show jumping and dressage will be held at Sha Tin racecourse and the cross country will be at Beas River.

AAP

Grazier angry over DPI's anthrax management

A New South Wales Upper Hunter cattle farmer says he is unhappy with the way the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has handled the anthrax outbreak.

Keith Miles is one of 11 cattle producers whose property in Rouchel, near Scone, is under quarantine after the infectious disease was detected at Christmas.
Mr Miles believes the outbreak should have been handled by Animal Health Australia under the AustVet plan.
He says the DPI was not prepared for the situation and has been making policies on the run.
"In Victoria they immediately quarantine the places immediately affected and they automatically vaccinate the surrounding area, and I mean a large area, so to make sure it doesn't spread any further," he said.
"Where as here it was left as an option for neighbours as to whether they vaccinated and then probably three to four weeks later they were talked into, 'it's probably a very good idea if you do it now'. It should have been automatic in the beginning."

Starring horse-riding lions, the Sickest Show on Earth

Just when it seemed that the Chinese had plumbed the depths of animal humiliation, along comes something even worse.

The country which gave you bears riding bikes now proudly presents ... lions and tigers on horseback.

In one of the nation's most notorious zoos, applauding spectators are treated to a bizarre display as a 30-stone lion leaps on to the horse's back.
Then it rides around the ring while a trainer with a whip keeps it moving.

After that, a 35-stone tiger climbs up on the same terrified steed for its turn in the limelight.
The shocking pictures come from the animal park at Xiamen in Fujian, south-east China, where the public seem to delight in humiliating circus-style stunts and have no regard for animal cruelty.
Conditions are poor, with big cats including lions, tigers and leopards and other large animals including bears kept in solitary confinement in tiny cages.
Elsewhere in the country, bears ride bicycles at an "Animal Games" in Nanjing.

At the Xiogsen Bear and Tiger Mountain village in Guilin, live animals are fed to tigers as a show for tourists. Bears pulling cars in a race with a strong man caused anger after the bizarre stunt was shown in Jinan last year.

In a display in Changchun, a tiger is put in a cage with an ox while muzzled so it tries to attack its prey but cannot kill it, producing an agonising and long-drawn-out battle.

Save China's Tigers, a charity which has a branch in the UK, campaigns to save animals trapped in the country's zoos.
It carries out public education schemes in China to raise awareness .
And it aims to free tigers from their cages, set up breeding programmes and reintroduce the proud creatures to the wild after teaching them how to hunt for themselves.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PHOTO'S

EI boosts animal disease awareness: research

Latest research from Animal Health Australia shows 72 per cent of farmers felt better informed about animal disease since the outbreak of equine influenza (EI).
A survey has found almost 50 per cent of horse owners have completely reviewed their biosecurity procedures to better protect their properties in the future.
But the manager of disease risk mitigation, Duncan Rowland, says more than 40 per cent of farmers are still unsure about the procedures they implemented.
"It's a confidence issue. Horse owners have implemented a range of procedures, but because this is the first time that Australia has experienced EI and because it's been so contagious, they're just uncertain," he said.

On with the show

Equestrian events from the Royal Hobart Show, which were postponed last year because of the threat of horse flu, have been rescheduled for this weekend.
They will be combined with two other events - the Summer Breed Show and the Agricultural Show Council of Tasmania.
The organiser of the horse and arena events, Chris Mathias, says it will be an equine extravaganza.
"We have three separate horse events", he said. "The Royal Hobart Summer Show, the postponed events from the Royal Hobart Show, and our own qualifying show - the ASCOT show."
Mr Mathias says there are 1,300 entries and many of the state's premier riders will take part.
Saturday's events will coincide with a Dog Show at the Hobart Showground.