‘Recognise it, report it’ call at National Equine Forum on African Horse Sickness

A GREATER say in disease control measures – as well as a greater share of the costs – looks likely to extend beyond the farmed livestock industry into the equine sector, as the spectre of African Horse Sickness looms.

Minister for the Horse Industry Jonathon Shaw, speaking at the National Equine Forum, London, told delegates that while no decision had yet been taken on whether horses would be included in cost-sharing proposals, last year's exotic disease outbreaks (in the farming industry) had demonstrated “how invaluable a true partnership between Government and industry can be. I believe that this cooperation and understanding needs to be taken further.”

He added that responsibility and cost sharing was “the means by which a fairer distribution of disease control [could] be established.”

“This will provide a better reflection of where the balance of responsibility lies for managing disease risks. It will give industry a greater say and responsibility for disease control measures during outbreaks as well as sharing a fairer part of the costs.”

The Minister, responding to questions on whether the Government viewed the arrival of African Horse Sickness in the UK as inevitable and, if so, what control measures where in place, said a working party had been set up to look at the disease. There is currently no safe and fully effective vaccine for the disease, which is related to bluetongue and transmitted in same way, via biting midges, and would devastate the UK equine population – mortality has been predicted at over 90 per cent.

Unsurprisingly, the disease dominated the afternoon discussion sessions following a paper from The Horse Trust chief executive Brigadier Paul Jepson, in which he described it as “a horrible disease” controlled by compulsory slaughter, for which there is no statutory compensation.

“If the disease was introduced to our naïve equine population, we would get around 90 per cent mortality,” warned Brig. Jepson, adding that while the disease was not currently present in Europe, it could arrive at anytime.

He urged the equestrian media and all horse-related organisations to help raise the profile of African Horse Sickness among UK owners and riders so that people were able to recognise the symptoms, and then report anything suspicious.

He said his greatest fear was a disease outbreak among the “back-street horse” population, with it then going unreported long enough for the disease to gain a foothold.

Work on developing a vaccine is on-going, but Brig. Jepson warned it was at least six months away and that any successful version was likely to be held and stockpiled by Government for use in the event of an outbreak, rather than being made available commercially.

Development of the vaccine is also complicated by the nine known serotypes of the disease in existence, making the combination of strains used in a vaccine difficult to judge.

Conference news round-up

• Placenta previa or ‘red bag' presentation in mares may be more common than previously thought, according to the results of an award-winning thesis given at the forum.

Soraya Morscher, winner of the 2007 Eqvalan Duo Thesis of the Year, studied the results of almost 1,300 births over a 13-year period in thoroughbred mares at a stud in Ireland. Red bag, which occurs when the placenta detachs from the uterus prematurely and appears in the birth canal without rupturing to release the foal, is treated seriously as the foal can asphixiate.

Results from the study showed that 1 in 16 mares suffered with red bag, and the incidence of the condition increased with increasing age and parity.

“The higher than expected incidence of this is a cause for concern,” said Ms Morscher, who recommended further investigative work.

• New developments in strangles research were presented by Prof Pat Harris on behalf of Prof Josh Slater.

A new blood test, launched by The Animal Health Trust last month, will allow the identification of infected horses with almost 100 per cent accuracy for several months after infection. The test will be useful during outbreaks in helping segregate horses into infected and non-infected groups, as well as with the identification of carriers.

It will also greatly enhance the implementation of strangles control programmes by identifying low-risk horses, said Prof Harris. On-going genome projects, including those identifying virulence genes, will make genetic typing of strangles possible and will be ‘a real aid' in outbreak investigations. A commercial test is now available through the AHT.

• Horse Industry Minister Jonathon Shaw admitted that the failure of Stephen Crabb's Private Member's Bill to amend the 1971 Animal Act was ‘bitterly disappointing'.

The bill failed when not enough MPs turned up to make the vote count. It had sought to resolve uncertainty around the strict liability of livestock owners, including those with horses, in the wake of rising insurance premiums and large settlement claims. The bill now goes to the ‘bottom of the pile', although the Minister said he would continue to work with industry over the issue.

• Industry will be consulted on the implementation of compulsory micro-chipping of all foals, due be introduced from July 2009 – ‘an important link between a horse and its passport'.