Sports

Worsening Horse Flu Crisis in Australia

by Tom van B | August 30, 2007 at 01:53 am

410 views | 2 Recommendations | 2 comments

Equine Influenza is still contained within Australia and there is no sign of it in New Zealand (the place I am reporting from). New Zealand Bio Security is on its highest alert and this vigilance is the reason its kept at bay. The damage to the industry has been done however with vital breeding programmes cancelled. Many stallions from different parts of the world will now not be going on a working holiday to Australia and New Zealand.

Sydney's Spring racing carnival has been officially cancelled due the worsening horse flu crisis which has caused the closure of Randwick racecourse.

Eight horses from trainer Anthony Cummings' Randwick stables have been struck down with equine influenza, and experts say it is just a matter of time before all 700 horses at Randwick become ill.

The racecourse is the home to the Spring Carnival which pumps hundreds of millions of dollars into NSW racing, but the closure of Randwick for at least two months means the carnival will not go ahead.

Randwick trainer John O'Shea says he has had no choice but to begin laying off employees due to the Carnival's cancellation.

"Our casual staff have been told they won't be required for an indefinite period," he said.

Racing NSW is considering the possibility of holding phantom race meetings at other race courses like Warwick Farm and Newcastle, where the virus has not been detected.

It has also been confirmed that an elderly horse on a property at Wilberforce, north-west of Sydney, has died from the virus.

Outbreak investigations

Federal Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran has defended investigations into the outbreak but has left open the option of a public inquiry.

The Minister says it is almost an inescapable conclusion that the equine influenza virus came from Japan, but at this stage it is not 100 per cent certain it is the same virus spreading in Australia.

He says a twin investigation is under way examining the possibility of human error and whether quarantine protocols worked.

"Until the scientists can actually identify the source of the infection, we have to keep our options open," he said.

Mr McGauran has not ruled out a public inquiry, but says the Government will decide how to proceed once investigators have examined all the facts.

"All Government Ministers and indeed agencies and departments are entirely accountable, the suggestion that there could be any covering up of a failure of the quarantine system is implausible."....