Largest horse move during EI
From the February 2008 edition of Agriculture Today.
The single largest movement of horses across the Victorian border since the beginning of the equine influenza (EI) outbreak last August signalled another step closer to eradication of the disease from NSW.
A total of 229 horses were transported for the William Inglis and Son Premier Yearling Sale, to be held in Melbourne in early March.
They were loaded onto trucks for the journey from the William Inglis Sydney quarantine facility at Newmarket to Oakdale in Melbourne.
William Inglis had also transported 66 horses from Newmarket to Oakdale on December 17.
Another 46 ponies and show horses stranded in NSW by the EI outbreak were given the go ahead to return to Victoria two days later.
The movements are the result of months of hard work and close cooperation between Governments on both sides of the border and all sectors of the States’ horse industries.
While the movements represent success in the battle against EI, strict nationally agreed protocols for the movement of horses from NSW to Victoria remain in place.
These included double checking each horse had been tested to confirm they did not have EI and that their blood tests showed strong antibodies, demonstratiing immunity to the disease.
NSW DPI oversaw the loading of the horses at Newmarket to ensure that all movement protocols, including decontamination and sealing of the transport vehicles were followed.
The trucks were stopped in Albury to allow Victorian DPI officials to check the seals before they entered Victoria.
