UPDATE FROM HORSESA

1. Latest updates on equine flu are provided on each state governments website or via www.outbreak.gov.au  Chat rooms, CB radios and other forms of non-official communication carries a lot of "myths" and "furfies"

 2. Uploaded to Horse SA homepage today are permit forms, information for horse aggregations and coming soon, information for transportation of horses (for when border control is lifted) information on Artificial Insemmination etc.  www.pir.sa.gov.au is regularly updated, so please keep revisiting the website

 3. Horse SA will be having our stand in the Farm Expo tent at the Royal Adelaide Show. Between 10 - 12 am each day a PIRSA Animal Health Officer will be available to provide information on personal & property biosecurity. Various handouts will be available and copies of "Horse Alert SA" for a donation of $5 or more to Horse SA.  RDA will be selling raffle tickets and the Adelaide & Mt Lofty Ranges NRM Board will have staff to answer questions about horse property mangement. Please take the time to catch up with us.

 4. An information night will be held at Mt Gambier  On Thursday Night, 6th September, to be attended by Dr Rob Rahaley, Chief Vet for SA. (Yes, you keep seeing him on TV!)   Venue to be confirmed  Please make arrangements to attend a 7 pm meeting.  Venue to be listed on Horse SA and PIRSA in the morning.  Please contact Julie on 0402 488 306 to register attendance, & confirm venue -  and let others know!

 5. There is a neat flyer also on Horse SA homepage to download. A nice one for shop windows, newsletters etc

 6. Last night over 80 people attended the information night at Waite Institute. A lot of questions were answered and it helped make the situation a lot clearer for people. The key messages included

•   SA is still at risk
•   NSW has not yet "peaked" and it will go on for several months yet
•   Threats to SA also include people and horse equipment, including riding boots
•    If you dont have to hold an event or social gathering - dont.
•    You are responsible for your horse               

Unfortunatley, going by the telephone enquiries today, there are still many people who are not "thinking through" the consequences of running a social gathering or event. Answering "yes" to all the questions asked by PIRSA means that you have understood that you and your organisation are responsible  and understand the consequences if a sick horse is found, or traced back to, your activity. All Permits will be open to a site visit or desktop Audit procedure. Whilst some aspects of the permit are compulsory and some are voluntary, the fact that the advice has been given, means that it needs to be carefully considered and assessed. It is expected  that the permit system will go for another month.

Some points of consideration (These are not Permit requirements, but should be discussed as a committee)

Have you checked your insurance policy? both the club and the grounds on which the activity is to be conducted?  Have you advised the participants of the risk?

Have you taken all precautions to ensure that you have covered off on all aspects of risk management?

This will include, but is not confined to

1. 1. Appointing a horse health person (vet or animal officer) for your activity i.e. someone to determine actions of the activity in
2. relation to horse health
3. 2. Conducting a risk assessment on your event, to include actions and consequences if horses were held on the site for several
4. months
5. 3. Documented induction & training for officials who will need to monitor the permit requirements (i.e. how will you document you
6. have undertaken all reasonable precautions and that the terms and conditions of conducting an activity under permit have been    understood?)
7. 4. How will you ensure that particpants attending the event have taken all biosecurity precautions so that your liability is reduced?
8. e.g. provided demonstrations on how to decontaminate, inspections etc
9. 5. Have systems in place to meet the Permit audit requirements

Further guidance is available in

• a. AUSVETPLAN (www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au)
• b.  Horse Alert SA (www.horsesa.asn.au)
• c  Horse Health Action Planner (www.horsesa.asn.au)

There will be activities that undertake their assessment, and plan to remove, replace, treat or wear the risk. And activities that have undergone the assessment and put practices and procedures into place, should be confident to progress with caution. Please feel free to discuss your particular situation with a PIRSA animal health officer in detail.

Every horse gathering organiser will need to individually assess each situation. Activities in remote areas near WA without spectators will provide a less of a risk than an activity to be held in Mt Gambier, with spectators (for example)

It is important to get our industry "back to business" but the point to be stressed is that this is early days yet in the disease profile and we are now relying on not transferring disease on people or equipment (dogs can carry it on dog rugs etc same as people with clothing)  and that border controls remain effective.

We all have to help each other, and work together and Horse SA would like to thank everyone who is working towards keeping South Australia disease free. Compliance with the Stock Standstill and subsequent PIRSA advice has been very high. Thank you. ("neighbourhood watch" )

For horse property owners, it makes planning against disease outbreak, risk assessments etc a lot easier if your property is registered with PIRSA (Sheep, cattle & pig properties will already be registered under the NLIS, just add horses to your property number)  With your Certificate of Title number ready, ring PIRSA on Ph 1800 654 688