Australian Equine Influenza Outbreak

Horseland & Weatherbeeta helping victims of the Victorian Bushfires

2009-02-23T09:33:00.000+10:30

Dear fellow Horse enthusiasts,
To help support all horse owners and horses effected by the VIC bushfires, Horseland is running a donation program where customers can buy a Horseland Gift Card at their local store, the staff at the store then pass this Gift Card on to the local Pony Clubs and Vet Clinics affected by these fires to get them back on track after this horrible tragedy. We together with WeatherBeeta, are also committed to helping organizations like Triple R Equine and the RSCA with their efforts to help benefit the people and horses in need at this tragic time.

Horseland now requires your help to pass the word out to everyone in Victoria and Australia to ensure that we raise the maximum amount of money possible to help these people and horses. Whether you just have a website that this story
(please see link: www.horseland.com.au/Email/Bushfire2.html) and banner (labeled Vic Fire preview.jpg) can be featured or whether you can email this to your email newsletter list of people, it will help spread the word. Even if you print the information out from the link and display it at your local pony club or in your offices, it is getting the word out there. At the end of the day, we want to make a difference for these people.

Thank You from Horse Deals

2008-05-06T15:20:00.003+09:30

On behalf of the Horse Deals Team we would like to Thank You for being part of this Blog since August 2007. The Equine Influenza outbreak had devastating effects on all sectors of the Horse Industry and Horse Deals have been proud to offer this unique service to our readers in support of 'our' industry during this difficult time. We look forward to the findings of the Callinan Inquiry and thank you all for being part of the Horse Deals Blog.
For all the latest news head to the www.horsedeals.com.au email info@horsedeals.com.au

Hoy's campaign hit by Badminton setback

2008-05-05T09:15:00.001+09:30

TRIPLE Olympic gold medallist Andrew Hoy's Olympic campaign was dealt a severe blow at the weekend when he was eliminated from the three-day event at the Badminton Horse Trials in England.

Hoy was leading on 35.4 penalty points after the dressage discipline but was disqualified after his horse, Moon Fleet, had a fall in the cross-country.
The 49-year-old Australian won the event on Moon Fleet in 2006.
Compatriot Clayton Fredericks, riding Nullabor, was also in the top 10 after the dressage, but he and Olympic gold medallist Stuart Tinney, riding Vettori, retired during the cross-country. Fredericks was not riding his top horse and is expected to compete on Ben Along Time in the United Kingdom later this month.
The highest-placed Australian going into the showjumping last night was Matt Ryan, riding Bonza Puzzle. He was 10th on 56.3 penalty points.
There are five positions up for grabs in the Australian Olympic eventing team, to be announced on July 4.
Sonja Johnson, of Western Australia, has strong claims to a spot after winning the Bates Sydney International Three-Day event last month.
Selectors will be watching Shane Rose's performance at the Melbourne International next month. He was leading going into the showjumping at the Sydney International, but was ruled out after his horse, All Luck, failed to trot up.
The Beijing Olympic equestrian events will be staged in Hong Kong from August 9-21.

Boom times for breeders

2008-05-05T09:13:00.002+09:30

AUSTRALIAN breeders, despairing last spring when equine influenza hobbled the thoroughbred industry, are back riding high as stallion service fees rise after the dizzy prices of last month's Sydney yearling sales.

Arrowfield is leading the charge to take advantage of the boom and the booming race performances of its stallions' progeny. It has announced that Hussonet, sire of emerging champion Weekend Hussler, will stand in the NSW Hunter Valley at $137,500 next season, up almost $100,000 on last year's $38,500.

Arrowfield boss John Messara said yesterday that last September he could not have imagined that equine influenza could have become a thing of the past so quickly as the market showed its resilience and international players such as Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed invested heavily in the Australian thoroughbred.

Hussonet, bought cheaply in Chile to stand at $24,750 in 2003, had been at $38,500 for two seasons. Last year, the horse served about 140 mares, but Messara will restrict him to 120 to ensure the stud gets another four or five years from him.

Even with 30-40 of the matings to be with Arrowfield mares, including Miss Finland and Alinghi, two of the best racehorses this century, the rise will bring in at least another $8 million for the stud next spring.

Last season's leading stallion Flying Spur also will stand at $137,500, up from $99,000 on the back of another good racing season with three group 1 winners — Forensics, Casino Prince and Dealer Principal.

Arrowfield will keep the service fee of Australia's dearest stallion, Redoute's Choice, at $330,000 after he had 49 yearlings sell for an average of $791,735 this season, with the top colt at $2.7 million and the top filly at $1.8 million. "The Australian horse is making it big worldwide, and the internationals are investing here, too," Messara said.

Hussonet and Flying Spur will be the equal-third-dearest stallions behind Redoute's Choice and Encosta De Lago.

Vet criticises DPI over outstanding EI vaccination payments

2008-05-05T09:01:00.001+09:30

A Queensland vet says he is still thousands of dollars out of pocket for work he did for the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) during the horse flu outbreak.

Dr Stephen Tanner says he is disappointed that after stepping up to help during the equine influenza crisis, he is still waiting to be paid a third of the money he is owed by the DPI for vaccinations.
Dr Tanner runs a clinic at Warwick which was at the heart of the outbreak.
"We've had to pay our creditors and we've had pay bills along the way and we've had to increase our overdraft to cover that," Dr Tanner said.
Equine Veterinary Australia spokesman Dr Chris Reardon says DPI staff are working as quickly as they can.
"They have acknowledged they are behind and they're doing their best to catch up the situation," he said.
Dr Reardon says the DPI will try to pay all outstanding equine influenza accounts by the end of next month.

Lawyers Prepare To Sue Over EI Report

2008-05-02T15:29:00.001+09:30

Australia's Federal Government "is considering its response to the Callinan Inquiry into the equine influenza outbreak amid growing expectations it will face class actions seeking to recoup losses inflicted on business & individuals," reported The Australian Financial Review. "At least 2 law firms have collated hundreds of cases involving economic loss for potential class actions against the government, but are awaiting the release of the Callinan Report by Agriculture Minister Tony Burke, who received it last week." A spokesman for Burke told the newspaper he was "still considering the report & declined to comment on when it would be released". Gold Coast-based law firm Atwood Marshall "says more than 300 horse owners & individuals working in related industries have registered interest in a class action". Managing partner Jeff Garrett said interested parties "ranged from stablehands who had lost thousands of dollars to a breeder who claimed to have lost between $7-8 million". Chartered accountant PKF & Sydney law firm Clinch Neville Long Letherbarrow "are also working on a possible EI class action".

Horse death prompts call to revisit steeplechase review

2008-05-02T15:26:00.001+09:30

The RSPCA says there needs to be a re-examination of a review completed three years ago which looked at steeplechasing and hurdling in horse races.

Yesterday, a horse in the Grand Annual at Warrnambool badly injured a leg while trying to clear the last obstacle in the race and had to be put down.
The RSPCA's Hugh Wirth says the review committee should be reconvened to see if the recommendations that were made have happened.
"This covered the training of horses, jockeys and more particularly the obstacles and how they were built," he said.
"Now the traditionalists of course didn't like our recommendations on the construction of hurdles and or steeples, but there is anecdotal evidence that this has made a huge difference."

Jail looms for vet on cruelty

2008-05-01T10:19:00.003+09:30

A VET banned from keeping animals after she was convicted of gross animal cruelty is facing jail after claiming she did not understand she couldn't keep dogs, horses and a bird.

Julie Tilbrook wept in court yesterday as she held up a photo of one of her horses, telling a magistrate it felt sad and knew welfare inspectors were coming to take it.
RSPCA officers seized two stallions, five dogs and a canary - all in good condition - from her Lara property in January.
Tilbrook yesterday faced Geelong Magistrates' Court to answer eight new charges of owning animals in violation of a court order.
The fresh charges breached a six-month suspended sentence imposed last September after she was found guilty of starving and mistreating 22 horses, some of which were near death.
She was disqualified from owning animals for five years.
The court yesterday heard that Tilbrook last year applied for a stay of an order to remove the dogs, horses and bird so she could appeal the magistrate's ruling.
But it was rejected by a County Court judge on December 20 last year, meaning she could no longer keep the animals.
On January 15 RSPCA inspectors seized a Jack Russell terrier, four kelpies, two stallions and a canary.
Tilbrook, who represented herself, said she was distressed and confused by the judge's decision, and asked her daughters to feed the animals while she got legal advice.
"I told my daughter, 'I'm going to get out of town because I have a feeling they are going to lock me up'."
Tilbrook said she camped "up country" with no water because she feared a set-up.
She said she was forced back to her Lara house because it was being vandalised, but claimed she did not go near the animals.
Tilbrook showed magistrate Michael Coghlan a picture of a stallion removed by the RSPCA in January.
"This is a very sad horse. That is a horse who knows he is the next one. He has seen people come to the property and take away his herd," she said, crying.
Mr Coghlan said Tilbrook organised someone else to care for the animals because she knew the ban was in effect and was trying to get around it.
He said he was satisfied the animals were in her possession.
Mr Coghlan urged Tilbrook to hire a lawyer and arrange material relating to mental health problems.
"You are facing a significant term of imprisonment. It concerns me there may be material that may put things in a different light," he said.
Prosecutor Andrew Halse said the RSPCA hoped to find the animals new owners.
Tilbrook faces court on May 29. Click here to go to the Herald Sun website for this story

Being saddled with injuries is a royal pain

2008-05-01T09:46:00.001+09:30

FUNNILY enough, my interest in equestrianism dates back to the day I bumped into Princess Anne's husband, Captain Mark Phillips, in the gents' toilets at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. "Why the long face?" I asked unoriginally.

"Foggy" Phillips - as he was nicknamed by army chums on account of his wetness and thickness - paused, processed the question and mumbled something about "lots of aches and pains" before trying to exit through a broom cupboard.
Little was ever said about the horses, so one presumed Foggy, a British gold medallist at the Munich Games, was talking about injuries to the American riders he coached at Atlanta. But they were piffling compared with those of the two women in Australia's winning three-day event team.
Wendy Schaeffer competed on a still-broken leg, so painful she "walked" the course beforehand in a golf buggy. Gillian Rolton finished her round after twice falling off, chipping an elbow, breaking a collarbone and cracking two ribs.
Fond memories of the heroic "crocks of gold" came galloping back this week with the arrival of Trailblazers ($29.95, Rosenberg), the story of Australia's first Olympic equestrians, told by the only survivor, Wyatt "Bunty" Thompson and the writer Petronella McGovern.
It was 1956, the year of the Melbourne Olympics, but Australia's stringent quarantine regime meant the equestrian events were held in Stockholm. Never mind medal chances. As Bunty, a grazier from Trunkey Creek, near Bathurst, explains, it was a major achievement for Australian riders and horses even to compete. Some horses, including "The Queen of Downunder", were shipped out in January during a heatwave into a British snowstorm. Others were bought on arrival. Several succumbed to equine flu. All were sold after competing.
The team followed by boat for a six-month campaign of acclimatisation and competition. They paid themselves a £2-a-week living allowance. They rode largely untried horses, brought the wrong saddles and had to buy special "English" clothes - red coats, white breeches, black boots.
More used to bush roughriding, Bunty and his five teammates had no experience of "European style". Indeed, their Viennese trainer was appalled to discover Australians believed dressage - which relates to the training and deportment of horses - meant being best dressed on parade.
Remarkably, the team finished just outside the medal places, in fourth place. As Bunty recalls, they rode a fast-learning curve. In Sweden, they were shocked by easygoing attitudes towards casual sex. In England, they struggled with etiquette.
At a cocktail party in Harewood House, Yorkshire, Bunty was talking to Prince Phillip, when he stepped back to make way for a waiter, crushing the toes of a woman behind him - the Queen Mother. That's the thing about equestrianism: you're always bumping into royals.

Beijing bans our Vegemite

2008-04-30T10:38:00.003+09:30

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.
Click here to read the full stroy

Chopper pilot steers horse to campdraft glory

2008-04-30T10:09:00.002+09:30

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

2008-04-30T09:56:00.001+09:30

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

2008-04-30T09:46:00.002+09:30

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."

LEVY TO FUND COST OF E I

2008-04-29T14:41:00.000+09:30

It is iniquitous that legislation to levy the horse industry to fund the 80% cost of E I is being rushed through before the result of the Callinan enquiry will be known. Any levy should be fair & equitable - so a levy on all service fees from all shuttle stallions for both 2008 & 2009 seasons would be an excellent starting point, followed closely by levy on all Thoroughbreds sold at auction in 2008/2009 financial year, and a levy on all prizemoney won by Thoroughbred racehorses in the 2008/2009 year. The taxes payable on the government grants and CHAPS payments should go directly to the fund and not to general revenue. The levy on registration of equestrian horses is OK but some horses are multi-registered so they should only have to pay once. There are plenty of people whose horses are not registered so they won't pay anything. There should be a levy on all horses slaughtered at meatworkds retrospective to 25 August and continuing to the end of 2008. I would be willing to bet however that there won't be any levies on shuttle stallion fees, Thoroughbred auctions or prizemoney on races.
Sally Pinnington, Gold Coast

Media Advisory Regarding the 2008 Rolex Kentucky CCI****

2008-04-29T09:26:00.002+09:30

Laine Ashker's horse Frodo Baggins was humanely euthanized after sustaining serious injuries as a result of a fall on the cross country course on Saturday, April 27. The entire eventing community is deeply saddened by the loss of this incredibly brave horse.

Laine was also injured in the fall. She was immediately attended to and is receiving the finest medial care available at the University of Kentucky emergency center. As of Sunday, April 28 at noon, she is in guarded condition. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her entire family.

In a separate incident Sarah Hansel's horse The Quiet Man sustained a serious shoulder injury as a result of a fall. The Quiet Man was humanely euthanized Sunday morning as a result of the fall. Sarah sustained minor injuries and didn't require hospitalization. The absence of this lovely horse is a tremendous loss to the entire sport of eventing.

Family Statement for Laine Ashker

First and foremost we'd like to thank everyone - Laine's friends, fellow competitors, fans and organizers - for all of the incredible support and well wishes sent our way. Given the sheer magnitude of Laine's fall, we have a great deal to be thankful for. The good news is there was no injury to either the brain or spinal chord. While Laine suffered multiple injuries, including a badly broken jaw, broken ribs and clavicle, the main concern is with her collapsed lungs. She is progressing normally and is currently in reasonably stable condition in the ICU unit at the University of Kentucky Hospital. We appreciate your continued support and heart felt prayers.

Laine's Family

Click here to go to the 2008 Rolex Kentucky CCI****

Alarm at buy now, pay later plan for dogs, cats

2008-04-29T09:08:00.001+09:30

PET stores are offering cats, dogs and other species for sale on payment plans.

Animal rights campaigners say the trend towards buying pets on layby will swell the number being abandoned or consigned to pounds, where there is a high risk that they will have to be put down.

Pets World is one NSW chain offering animals on payment plans.

Under the terms of the agreement, customers pay a 40 per cent deposit and the remainder over six months. They cannot bring the pet back or obtain a refund if it runs away or dies - nor are they entitled to compensation if the animal falls ill outside the 30-day "health guarantee".

Derek Knox, a volunteer with the charity CatRescue, said: "This is the dumbest and most socially irresponsible thing we have ever seen.

"If a person can't afford the full cost of the animal in the first place, how are they going to afford the food, the upkeep and the vets' fees?

"These animals are sold before they have been de-sexed, so there is also the risk that they will have kittens or puppies because the owner cannot afford to have them desexed, adding to the numbers that will end up being dumped."

Mr Knox said more than 60,000 healthy animals were killed every year in NSW pounds.

Karen Schlieper, supervisor of the RSPCA's Sydney animal shelter, said: "We are hugely concerned. A lot of pet store purchases are made on impulse and if people are offered this type of payment plan, there is a big risk that those who can't afford a pet will be enticed into buying one."

But Pets World director Jamie Buttigieg said: "The payment plan is interest-free and offers our customers an alternative from paying by credit card or cash or cheque.

"We take our responsibilities extremely seriously," he said.

Country Shows 2008

2008-04-29T09:02:00.003+09:30

I have recently competed at Orange, Wellington and Dubbo Ag Shows and i am very dissapointed to see that the Numbers of Hacks Galloways and Ponies is down compared to recent years.
Has the EI affected these shows more than we thought.
I was ready and raring to go but it seems alot of the usual competitors were absent.
Anyone else got any thoughts.......
Maybe the cost of fuel has turned people away or have alot of people realised a life beyond horses during the EI?
D.

Prayers for Robbie Allen

2008-04-28T12:48:00.003+09:30

It is reported that Robbie Allen was coaching at Werribee Park when the student fell off. Robbie went to collect the horse reached for the reins and it spun and got him in the face with both back legs. He is in the Alfred, with severe facial injuries and concussion. Our well wishes and prayers go out to Robbie and his family.

Parkes show dilemma over equine debacle

2008-04-28T12:09:00.002+09:30

SECOND time lucky. Well maybe. Parkes Pastoral, Agricultural and Horticultural Association secretary, Kaye Bird, is frustrated a grant application to regain expenses after the equine influenza outbreak was knocked back.

For committee members of Parkes Show, it’s a do or go bust effort to regain some of the expense incurred for doing the right thing and stopping their 2007 show because of the Equine Influenza outbreak.

Parkes was the only three-day show in the state which voluntarily closed its gates to horse entry or departure more than 24 hours before NSW Primary Industries officials declared the showground a quarantine area and cancelled the event last August.

Horses that had arrived early, including a truck load from Sydney’s Centennial Park, were included in the lockdown which lasted for some 50 days.

Callinan report finalised

2008-04-28T09:46:00.001+09:30

SYDNEY – Ian Callinan, the Commissioner of the Inquiry into the equine influenza (EI) outbreak in Australia, has provided his report to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke.

The Commissioner was appointed by the previous Government in September, 2007 to investigate the outbreak of EI.

He was asked to report on the circumstances contributing to the outbreak of the disease and on the need for any strengthened biosecurity procedures for the quarantine management of imported horses.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke said he would consider Justice Callinan’s report and findings in detail before providing a public response.

“I will take the time needed to thoroughly review the report before making any comment or decision on the recommendations.

“It is my intention that the report will be publicly released once it has been considered by the Government.”

The Government will consult with a range of industry sectors on the future handling of imported horses, including the racing, breeding and recreational sectors.
Click here to go to Turf Monthly

Class action likely over horse flu

2008-04-24T16:36:00.002+09:30

The final report into how horse flu entered Australia will be handed to Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke today.

But even before it's tabled in parliament, a class action against Government agencies looks likely.

After six months and 80,000 documents, the horse flu inquiry has ended with Commissioner Ian Callinan delivering his single volume on time to the government.
But legal proceedings are far from over.
Partner with lawyers Atwood Marshall, Jeff Garrett, who represented livestock transporters and farriers in the inquiry, says he is ready to file a class action for 350 clients who suffered loss after the outbreak.
"We've been working very hard to asemble the various components of their claims, so that we are ready to proceed as soon as the findings are handed down by the inquiry," he said.
Interim recommendations from the Commissioner have already put the Commonwealth on notice that its entire quarantine system is facing a major shake-up.
It is not known if, or when, Mr Burke will make public the inquiry's final report. Click here to read the full story

Government receives Equine Influenza Inquiry Report

2008-04-24T15:19:00.001+09:30

The Hon. Tony Bur ke MP
Minister for Agricul ture, Fisheries and Forestry
M E D I A R E L E A S E

Government receives Equine Influenza Inquiry Report

The Commissioner of the Inquiry into the Outbreak of Equine Influenza in Australia in August 2007, the Hon. Ian Callinan AC, has provided his report to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke.

The Commissioner was appointed by the previous Government in September 2007 to investigate the outbreak of equine influenza.

He was asked to report on the circumstances contributing to the outbreak of the disease and on the need for any strengthened biosecurity procedures for the quarantine management of imported horses.

Mr Burke said he would consider Justice Callinan's report and findings in detail before providing a public response.

"I will take the time needed to thoroughly review the report before making any comment or decision on the recommendations," Mr Burke said.

"It is my intention that the report will be publicly released once it has been considered by the Government."

Following the release of the report, the Government will consult with a range of industry sectors on the future handling of imported horses, including the racing, breeding and recreational sectors.

24 April 2008 DAFF08/047B

Thoroughbred industry urges horse flu report release

2008-04-24T14:34:00.001+09:30

The Hunter's thoroughbred breeding sector is urging federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke not to delay releasing the equine influenza inquiry report, which is now with his department.

The independent inquiry heard several weeks of evidence from quarantine officials, stud representatives and riders involved in an event at Maitland, which is blamed for the virus escaping into the wider horse population.
The final report has been sent to Mr Burke.
Thoroughbred Breeders Australia president John Messara is hoping the document is released soon.
"I'd say the sooner the better. I think we need to sort ourselves out and know exactly where the industry stands, and in fact where the shortfalls have been, and how they're going to be remedied," he said.
"We're getting back into the shuttle season. It's on again in the next couple of months, horses are beginning to come out here and we need to be planning."

Click here to go to the ABC Newcastle website

Aust needs quarantine boost: Callinan

2008-04-24T14:27:00.001+09:30

The author of a report into the equine influenza crisis says Australia's quarantine measures need to be strengthened significantly to protect the country from another outbreak.

The horse flu epidemic crippled the racing and horse industries in Queensland and New South Wales last year.

Former High Court judge Ian Callinan handed his report to the Federal Agriculture Minister yesterday.

The Federal Government says it will not publicly release the report into the equine influenza crisis until it has been properly considered.

In a statement, Agriculture Minister Tony Burke said he had received the report and would take the time needed to thoroughly review it before making any decision on the recommendations.

While traveling in regional Queensland today, Mr Callinan said international quarantine measures also needed improvement. Click here to go to the ABC News website

Notebook sheds light on Phar Lap mystery

2008-04-24T10:21:00.000+09:30

A handwritten notebook of tonics used by the trainer of legendary racehorse Phar Lap, which may shed new light on his death from poisoning, has sold at auction for $37,000.

The 82-page notebook, which belonged to Phar Lap's trainer Harry Telford, provides the first written proof of the tonics and ointments he used on racehorses.

Twenty-eight of the homeopathic recipes in the notebook were written in Telford's hand, with two others added by his track-work jockey, Ernie Fellows, auctioneer Charles Leski of Charles Leski Auctions in Melbourne said.

Ingredients of some of them include arsenic, strychnine, belladonna, cocaine and caffeine - poisonous in large amounts but used to give horses an extra edge in the days before swabbing.

Phar Lap won 37 of his 51 starts, including 14 wins in a row and the 1930 Melbourne Cup.

He went to the United States in 1932, accompanied by his strapper and stand-in trainer Tom Woodcock.

The big red won his first race on US soil but died at the Menlo Park racetrack in California on April 5.

Conspiracy theories flourished, including suggestions gangsters killed off the champion Australian-owned, New Zealand-bred gelding.

But on his deathbed in 1985, Woodcock admitted Phar Lap might have died from ingesting too much of one of his tonics.

Mr Leski said the notebook was sold among a range of sporting memorabilia.

It was purchased by Museum Victoria, which has displayed Phar Lap's hide and other memorabilia since 1933.

Four bidders drove the price from the minimum bid of $7,500, with the final price well exceeding the estimate of $10,000 to $20,000.

"It's the first time that we have had, in writing, confirmation that caffeine, cocaine, belladonna, strychnine - all of them we think of as poisons - were actually used by Harry Telford in the maintenance of his horses," Mr Leski told AAP.

"In strictly measured doses and mixed in with other feed, presumably these served the purpose of being a stimulant and didn't adversely affect the horses.

"But if Phar Lap had been unwell in the trip over to America or if he had been in the hands of more than one person in the US, it's possible the dosage wasn't strictly adhered to and it would appear he overdoses on a concoction that was considered good for him.

"This was considered quite normal at the time."