Improved Format NSW DPI WEBSITE: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/livestock/horse/influenza
Source: NSW DPI website: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
Source: QLD DPI Website: www.dpi.qld.gov.au
Source: QLD DPI Website: www.dpi.qld.gov.au
After discussions with industry bodies over the past fortnight and lengthy consultation with both vendors and buyers, William Inglis & Son have announced a revised format for their 2008 Major Yearling Sale Series to tie in with the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
Inglis managing director Mark Webster said "It is important that the racing industry is given time to recover from the EI outbreak prior to holding major yearling sales in 2008. It is also important that young sires are given the opportunity to prove themselves on the track to maximise returns for breeders. We feel that by holding our two Sydney yearling sales after the Melbourne carnival and alongside the rescheduled major Sydney Autumn feature races will benefit all industry participants. Feedback from local and international yearling buyers suggests the Classic Yearling Sale should also benefit by immediately following the Easter Yearling Sale. This is good news for breeders."
The revised schedule for major Inglis sales in 2008 is as follows:
• March 2, 3 & 4 - Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, Oaklands Melbourne (unchanged)
• April 14, 15 & 16 - Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Newmarket Sydney
• April 20, 21 & 22 - Classic Yearling Sale, Newmarket Sydney
• April 27 - 30 - Easter Broodmare Sale, Newmarket Sydney
Please note: The Autumn Yearling Sale conducted at Oaklands will be rescheduled to a date in May. Further announcements regarding all other sales will be made as soon as possible.
Inspections are currently underway, however finalisation of yearling inspections is still one month away therefore vendors are encouraged to make contact with Inglis Bloodstock staff at Newmarket or Oaklands to discuss the sale of their yearlings in 2008.
Source: NSW DPI Website: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
Horse flu vaccine can be used in NSW only for the equine influenza containment strategy and by accredited vets operating on behalf of NSW Department of Primary Industries.
Deputy chief veterinary officer Steve Dunn said there have been reports of private vets wrongly promoting local equine influenza vaccination services.
“It is illegal to acquire a vaccine or to vaccinate without DPI approval,” he said.
“Only DPI accredited veterinarians who have been through our induction course can vaccinate DPI approved horses for equine influenza.
“As well as the vaccination injection, vets are required to microchip all horses, record appropriate information and return used phials.”
Mr Dunn said vaccination would not stop horses becoming infected, but it would reduce clinical signs and decrease the amount of virus shed by horses.
“Vaccine is not a silver bullet, or the answer to all the problems thrown up by the EI outbreak,” he said.
“The fact that the virus was brought into the country by vaccinated horses highlights the limitation of vaccines.”
Source: NSW DPI Website: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
About 300 horses in a 10km wide strip just north of Mittagong will be the first vaccinated as part of the “buffer zone” phase in the campaign to eradicate the exotic horse flu.
Horse owners in the northern part of the Wingecarribee Shire near Hilltop are currently being contacted and informed of the options for their horses.
“These owners will be helping form a 200 square kilometre ‘southern plug’ to stop the spread south of the EI virus,” said NSW deputy chief veterinarian Steve Dunn.
“They can move their horses under permit from the area to another property towards or into red zone,” he said.
“Or they can elect to keep them onsite and have them vaccinated and micro-chipped by a veterinarian at no cost.
“Most owners have so far elected to have their horses vaccinated rather than take up a $500 offer to move their horses.”
NSW Department of Primary Industries has set up a Local Vaccination Centre at Mittagong from where the vaccine will be dispensed to teams of authorised veterinarians.
“These vets will be visiting properties to vaccinate the horses from early Saturday morning,” Mr Dunn said.
“The target is to have all horses moved or vaccinated as rapidly as possible and create a buffer to stop the spread south of equine influenza.
“Co-operation from horse owners in the buffer zones is vitally important in the success of this campaign.”
The vaccine will NOT be made available to each and every horse owner in NSW, but used for disease control in nominated buffer zones such as this one south of Sydney.
Some doses will also go to protect high value, at risk horse populations within restricted areas. Industry representatives are identifying these high value, at risk horses requiring vaccination.
Mr Dunn said it was important to note that this vaccine is NOT the silver bullet, or the answer to all the problems thrown up by the EI outbreak.
“Vaccination will not stop a horse from being infected; it will reduce the clinical signs and reduce virus secretion, helping to stop spread.
“Biosecurity, hygiene and movement restrictions remain vitally important to our effort to contain this disease.”
The “southern plug” will be followed by other buffers north of Sydney around Gloucester, then around known outlying infected properties and other edges of the Red Zone.
Due to the impact the current Equine Influenza (EI) crisis is having on the entire Queensland horse racing industry, Queensland Racing Limited (QRL) has established a Queensland Industry Information Hotline – 1800 200 057. Management of this Information Hotline is coordinated between QRL, Harness Racing Queensland and the Albion Park Harness Racing Club.
This Information Hotline will provide industry stakeholders with access to the following information and assistance:
1. CHAPS / Hardship Fund
2. Vaccinations
3. Employment Assistance
4. Stewards, and
5. General Information.
QRL is encouraging all stakeholders who are seeking employment during the EI crisis to contact the Information Hotline, as a number of employment opportunities are available. QRL thanks those companies who have offered these employment opportunities to the Queensland horse racing industry.
QRL has also established a Resource Centre at its Deagon Office, offering stakeholders assistance, support and guidance. Persons in need are encouraged, to in the first instance, contact the Information Hotline on 1800 200 057 and highlight their needs. Personal one-on-one assistance is being offered by QRL and all persons in need are encouraged to utilise this service. It is recognised that in these difficult times, extraordinary measures are required to ensure that the welfare of all industry participants is being catered for an appropriately managed.
QRL will also be conducting seminars aimed at providing knowledge of all the assistance measures in places to ensure both the welfare of industry participants and the long term sustainability of our industry. In addition to today’s seminar at Eagle Farm, seminars are being organised for the following locations:
(a) Sunshine Coast
(b) Gold Coast
(c) Ipswich, and
(d) Toowoomba.
These measures have been put in place by QRL to ensure that industry participants in the South East Red Zone are adequately informed.
Source: Herald Sun, Mandy Cottell
NEXT year's Sydney autumn carnival could be delayed by more than a month because of the equine influenza (EI) crisis.
A second meeting of racing industry leaders in Sydney today ended with the unanimous decision to shift the autumn extravaganza back to give trainers more time to get their horses ready.
The group first met a week ago when it agreed to consult its respective bodies and participants about possible program changes in the autumn.
Since then the EI situation has worsened with the virus spreading to Warwick Farm last Saturday and metropolitan training centres in Brisbane during the week.
"The resolution was to recommend to all the relevant racing jurisdictions in Australia that the autumn carnival be put back," said Racing NSW chief executive Peter V'Landys who chaired today's meeting.
"We're looking at a month to five weeks that it will be put back."
The Magic Millions carnival at the Gold Coast in January and Easter yearling sale in Sydney will also be delayed but new dates have yet to be confirmed.
A revised 2008 Sydney autumn carnival program will be finalised after Queensland Racing officials can speak to race clubs in that state as any significant delays could impact on Brisbane's winter carnival.
V'Landys also confirmed the first batch of Commercial Horse Assistance Payments (CHAP) - part of the Federal Government's $110 million equine assistance package - has now been rolled out.
"The commercial horse payments and jockey payments have been done and they were very well received. The industry is very appreciative to (Federal Minister) Peter McGauran, he's been a tower of strength, and to John Howard."
Yesterday was the first day that permits were being issued for mares wishing to gain access to stallions within Queensland and we are sure the DPI office fax would have been running hot with applications.
For some, there is still a little bit of confusion as to what is, and what isn’t, allowed.
Hopefully this quick summary will clear a fair bit of it up for those situated in this category.
As of Thursday September 27, mares are now being permitted to move from one EI free zone to another EI free zone under a certain set of permits and protocols.
This permit must be accompanied by a vet verification letter.
A breeder’s eligibility to get this approval is relatively simple to work out, although there will be a number of people who are still unable to move at the present time.
Once you have completed all the necessary paperwork and faxed it through to the DPI, they will determine whether or not your mares are located within an EI infected area, within a buffer zone (15km radius from an infected area) or within a clean zone.
Movement permits will only be issued to those within a clean zone.
If you are granted a permit, you will be required to phone the farm to where your mare is being transported and they will explain their arrival requirements regarding bio-security.
The state has also been split into a number of very strict, small “walk-on precincts”.
These are
1. Beaudesert to Innisplain.
2. The inner Darling Downs (Greenmount to Wellcamp).
3. Gladfield (Nolan Heights).
4. Certain areas in Warwick.
It is within these areas only that normal “walk-on” coverings can be completed.
If your mare is situated outside of the precinct in which the stallion you wish to patronise is situated, then you will only be granted a one way movement permit and your mares must remain at the farm you have sent them to.
Unfortunately, there are still many people terribly disadvantaged at the moment by either being denied access to the stallions of their choice, or even more frustratingly being positioned within an infected area, or buffer zone, and not being able to move at all.
We hope this is a situation that will be addressed as quickly as is feasibly possible.
Also, to those clients with mares situated outside the state of Queensland, unfortunately nothing has changed and you are currently still unable to move your mares into Qld studs.
The Queensland Breeders Board has worked very hard to try and get these movement permits put in place and it has been an exceptionally frustrating time for all concerned as there were many obstacles and frustrations thrown at them time and time again.
Much of the success, or failure, of this system will now fall squarely upon the shoulders of all breeders. It is still of paramount importance that all necessary biosecurity measures are kept in place, that contact with people who may have been exposed to EI is avoided and that all suspect cases of EI are reported immediately to the DPI.
It is only with complete honesty and diligence from everyone concerned that we can hope to continue to go forward for the rest of the season.
It is also important to realise that there is a vaccination plan being processed which we hope will allow more liberal movement in the not too distant future.
It is certainly not an ideal situation we are faced with, but it is a start and that puts plenty of breeders in a better position than they were last week.
