Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Australian Flu Epidemic Update

November 2, 2007

The equine influenza epidemic has cost Australian horse racing more than $300 million in lost earnings since the August 25 outbreak shut down the industry in NSW and Queensland.

In the lead-up to the country's top race, Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, the industry has released economic modelling showing the impact of the outbreak, which has infected 33,000 race and recreational horses around the country.

It also comes as the blame game over the outbreak intensified, with the Howard Government yesterday attacking the Australian Racing Board, after revelations it had warned former agriculture minister Warren Truss three years ago that changes to quarantine protocols were putting Australia at risk of an EI outbreak.

Mr Truss, now Trade Minister, yesterday said he had been given advice at the time that the changes had not raised the risk and that the racing industry had then pushed for a relaxation of quarantine measures to hasten the process for importing horses.

The ARB modelling -- estimating a daily loss of $4.3 million to the racing and breeding industry since August 25 -- comes as an independent inquiry into the outbreak will begin taking evidence from more than 100 expected witnesses on November 13.

The inquiry, headed by retired High Court judge Ian Callinan, was called by the Howard Government in September to determine the outbreak's cause and whether quarantine reforms are needed.

Preliminary investigations for the inquiry, detailed in an opening address on October 3 by counsel assisting, Tony Meagher SC, revealed problems at every stage of the importation and quarantine process, including breaches of protocols by private veterinarians overseeing the horses at the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service station at Eastern Creek in western Sydney.

In September, The Australian revealed that the ARB repeatedly warned Mr Truss in 2004 and 2005 that changes to quarantine procedures, including the use of private vets, were exposing the country to EI. The warnings will be investigated by the inquiry.

In letters obtained by The Weekend Australian, then ARB chairman Andrew Ramsden wrote to Mr Truss questioning why horses, which are put into mandatory quarantine for two weeks, were inspected by private veterinarians on the payroll of the importers.

"This is totally unacceptable," Mr Ramsden wrote. "Any quarantine function which requires veterinary input should be performed by an AQIS veterinary officer."

Mr Truss said yesterday the ARB only raised concerns about the use of private vets at a quarantine facility in Melbourne and they had later asked the Government to relax quarantine measures.

Mr Truss said that, at the time, the AQIS assured him that there was "no increased risk" through the use of private vets in Melbourne's Tullamarine quarantine facility. He said he informed the ARB of the advice and that the board never raised it again.

"In fact, the ARB on a number of occasions contacted Mr Truss asking for quarantine measures to be relaxed in relation to the importation of horses," he said in a statement.