Beijing bans our Vegemite

FORGET Tibet and human rights - 2008 may become known as the year of the Vegemite riots after China's ban on Australia taking its own food to the Olympic Games.

In another example of the iron-clad control Beijing is trying to exert on foreigners, Games organisers have told Australia it must source all food from within China.

It is understood the Chinese have introduced the ban to maximise revenue for local food producers.

The policy is an abrupt departure from previous Olympics, when Australian athletes have been allowed to bring in foods to meet their strict dietary needs.

The Daily Telegraph has learned the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games added an unprecedented clause in its freight manual outlining the ban.

The Australian Olympic Committee raised the issue at a BOCOG planning meeting in Beijing last month but so far the Chinese have refused to relax their policy.
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Chopper pilot steers horse to campdraft glory

Cameron Parker might spend most of his time in the cockpit, but he was more at home in the saddle at the weekend.

The Central Queensland helicopter pilot spent three days of fierce competition over the Anzac Day weekend, competing in the prestigious Rocky Rush at the Gracemere saleyards complex.

With the State's top cowboys, the competition combined cutting, reigning and camp-drafting and led into the annual Quarter Horse sale on Monday and Tuesday.

Against stiff competition, Mr Parker scored top prize in the Queensland Country Life junior challenge, scoring 452.5 points atop the horse One More Daddy, owned by Mack and Gail Shann, Centaur Park, Clermont.

Mr Parker lives in the Mount Coolon district, north of Moranbah, on Blair and Josie Angus's property, Sondella Station.

He rides most afternoons after a day of flying and said that it is important to get in the saddle every day.

With many major titles two his name, it marked the second consecutive year he has won the junior challenge of the Rocky Rush.

He came in ahead of Frank Green on Johnny Paycheque who placed second (447 points), while Berry Shann on Sandy Spin scored 446 points to place third.

In the senior challenge, Rick Frost (Pepe Wood) placed first ahead of Nathan Wilson (Chickasha Josie) in second and Andrew Currie (Early Oak) in third.

Horse owners to sue over flu

A Queensland law firm is preparing to launch a multi-million dollar class action against the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) over the horse flu outbreak.

More than 300 horse owners have already registered their interest in joining a class action with Gold Coast-based law firm Atwood Marshall.
Lawyer Jeff Garrett said the action could not be launched until the findings of an independent inquiry into last year's equine influenza (EI) outbreak are tabled in federal parliament.
However, after hearing evidence presented to the inquiry that problems at Sydney's Eastern Creek Quarantine Station were to blame for the outbreak, he expected the AQIS to be the subject of any action.
"If the findings come out as we expect, I am sure that not long after that we are probably going to have a number of court actions which will proceed," Mr Garrett said.
"If you look at the submissions of counsel assisting the inquiry, if they are accepted or even 50 per cent of them are accepted, it's hard to imagine that AQIS are not going to be in the firing line."
The total damages claim is yet to be determined but Mr Garrett estimated it could total tens of millions of dollars.
The outbreak crippled the thoroughbred industry in Queensland and NSW and resulted in losses estimated at more than $1 billion.
Mr Garrett said he expected thousands more horse owners to join the action once the findings were made public.
He said the outbreak had a "huge" impact on many of his clients.
"There's been people who have been completely devastated by it - right across the board there's just been complete devastation and widespread losses," Mr Garrett said.

EI class action against quarantine station

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service is likely to be hit with a multi-million dollar damages claim over the equine influenza (EI) outbreak.

More than 300 Australian horse owners have registered with Queensland law firm Atwood Marshall, outlining their intention to join a class action to recoup their losses.
An independent inquiry into the outbreak heard that problems at Sydney's Eastern Creek Quarantine Station were to blame.
Lawyer Jeff Garrett says the outbreak cost the industry at least $1 billion.
"Many people, their businesses simply ground to a halt , they just had nothing," he said.
"If the findings come in with what we heard at the inquiry itself I think there's little doubt that the relevant government authority is going to be held squarely responsible for the outbreak."
New South Wales Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald has publicly attacked the quarantine service, saying it is solely to blame for last year's horse flu outbreak.
"It'll show that Eastern Creek was slack, as many of my veterinary officers and others associated with the department have said right from the beginning," he said.
"This is straight out of Eastern Creek or pre-Eastern Creek and is a great demonstration of what should not happen in relation to quarantine services."
He says he believes the inquiry will prove that sub-standard quarantine protocols were to blame.
"It could have been a lot worse if we had an exotic disease enter this country that had some human potentiality or could spread to humans such as, they believe, avian influenza could," he said. Click here to go to the Story

"We need to have very strong bio-security protocols in place at all of our entry points."