Equine Influenza: Concerned Australia Quarantines Valuable Horses
Published: August 24, 2007
Source : Bloomberg/Sydney Morning Herald
One horse being kept at a government quarantine facility at Eastern Creek in western Sydney has symptoms consistent with horse flu and blood tests show a "strong suspicion"' the animal was infected recently, McGauran said in a statement on his Web site. A horse from Japan is suspected to have brought the disease to Australia, according to the statement.
Some of Australia's most valuable stallions are among the horses quarantined, a week before the breeding season begins. Stallions can earn more than A$100,000 ($82,000) for their owners for breeding with a mare, the government said. One stallion can be partnered with as many as five mares a day.
"The extended quarantining of a number of Australia's top stallions will have a serious effect on the horse breeding industry," McGauran said. "Some of Australia's best known and most valuable stallions are amongst these horses."
The government will quarantine 52 horses at the Eastern Creek facility for at least 30 days.
Another 27 horses at a government quarantine facility in Melbourne are also in quarantine for the same period, he said. Some of the horses being kept in Melbourne traveled to Australia with the animals being kept at Eastern Creek.
Flu cripples Sydney races
Australia's multi-billion-dollar horse racing industry is in meltdown as a result of this outbreak of equine influenza spreading to Centennial Park, prompting the almost certain cancellation of today's meeting at Royal Randwick and casting a cloud over the spring carnival.
Racing officials announced early today that horses from the Centennial Park stables had returned positive tests to the highly contagious disease.
The impact on the breeding program, combined with the effect on the racing calendar, would push the cost of a flu outbreak into the billions of dollars.
The first big casualty is today's feature meeting at Royal Randwick, which is next to Centennial Park. The meeting is set to be cancelled after racing officials meet at 6am today. No horses are allowed within five kilometres of the course.
"We will have to send security guards into Randwick to ensure none of the 600-odd horses stabled there are moved," said the chief executive of Racing NSW, Peter V'Landys.
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Bloomberg/Sydney Morning HeraldRelated topics:
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COMPLEAT FEEDS
26 de agosto de 2007
The extended quarantining of a number of Australia's top stallions will have a serious effect on the horse breeding industry, McGauran said. Some of Australia's best known and most valuable stallions are amongst these horses.
Oh Yeah??? Pur company has just been quarrantined at the EFI World Cup Eventing in Warwick as 4 horses there apparently showed elevated temperature signs etc. - Personally, I don't mind as I would hate to think that persons or horses leaving the facitlity were a potential threat to the horse industy in Australia - and I mean the horse industry - not the bloody thoroughbred industry that the Government makes multi millions of dollars per year from - if it weren't for the antiquated or anal rules governing the thoroughbred industry we wouldn't have this bloody mess in Australia - why is is so necessary to have these so called super stallions running on a shuttle service between all these foreign and often third world countries so that consordiums ( and government bodies) can reap millions in benefit from service fees, import duties, gst. etc. etc. when the horse can be collected and straws distributed? The thoroughbred industry has a lot to answer for in terms of whenever a catastrophe hoppens in any country that has often stringent laws concerning quarrantine etc, it can be DIRECTLY related to the thoroughbred industry? The only plausible explaination I can see directly associated is the almighty dollar.
Please feel free to reply or respond to this as I have been associated in the horse industry for well over 50 years, and it is ALWAYS the dollar and government cop that is the direct cause of these failures - and I will and can argue the demerit of the thoroughbred industry all day long -
These are my own personal thoughts on the matter but I am strongly supported by many many horse owners that have also voiced their opinion on the matter -
Time to get off your butts and speak up for better control I think.
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