AHIC attends first RSPCA Horse Welfare Roundtable

The first Horse Welfare Roundtable convened by the RSPCA was held today in Melbourne.

The Australian Horse Industry Council was one of the key equine groups invited to attend.

A number of areas relating to horse welfare were covered with representatives from across the Horse Industry.

In addition to the Australian Horse Industry Council, representatives included, Harness Racing Australia, Racing Australia, Equestrian Australia, Australian Veterinarian Association and the Equine Veterinary Association.

AHIC President Mark Burnell said “Dr Bidda Jones, (Acting CEO of the RSPCA) and the RSPCA are to be commended for taking the lead in bringing peak equine bodies together to discuss ways we can improve horse welfare guidelines for all horses in Australia, not just race horses. All horses should expect to be treated respectfully and humanely throughout their lives, this also should extend to their end of life.”

The round table discussed a range of horse welfare issues and called for a review into the following areas including how they are overseen and enforced:

  • national transportation guidelines for horses

  • horse abattoir and knackery practices across Australia

  • welfare standards at horse sales and auctions

The AHIC again called for a whole of Industry Survey to be conducted to provide an accurate picture of the scale of the equine population and industry in Australia. This information currently does not exist as a whole of industry data set. This would provide a valuable baseline for regulators and policy makers when considering some of the issues above, together with the recent Senate Inquiry call for a National Horse Traceability Registry.

The Horse Welfare Roundtable will meet again in the new year. The AHIC will continue to be involved and to represent the wider horse community in this forum.

The AHIC holds a number of Industry Advisory Committee meetings throughout the year to discuss these issues with member organisations and to brief them about major industry developments.

Senate Comm announces support for the establishment of a national horse traceability register.

Names AHIC as being key to bring horse industry together. 

After a nine-month process, the Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Senate Committee handed down its final report on Thursday into the Feasibility of a national horse traceability register for all horses.

After receiving submissions from across the horse industry and two public hearings, the Senate committee has recommended the establishment of a working group under the auspices of the Federal Department of Agriculture. The aim will be to progress the development and implementation of a national horse traceability register to report back in 12months.

The committee has called upon the AHIC to play a key role in the working group.  Namely, to land a unified industry front to engage with Commonwealth, state and territory governments and to negotiate and communicate the specific requirements of the industry.  

The AHIC bought invited equine organisations and data base specialist companies already working in this sector for a round table discussion on Friday November 29 in Melbourne to discuss the senate recommendations and to begin consulting with the horse industry.  

This followed an industry survey to help us understand the extent of the data and information already being collected. Thank you to all the organisations that have responded so far. 

What would best describe your current database, system or organisation best? 

·     A record of *horses? 

·     A record of owners? 

·     A platform for running competitions or organising entries to competitions? 

·     Or all of the previous? 

(*Note when reading horse/horses in the following questions, this also relates to ponies, donkeys and mules.) 

If a record of horses, does it require a microchip as means of identifying? Does it require a brand? Does it require both? Does it require no more than a name? For identification do you use a drawn representation of hair whorls, markings and any scars? For the horses do you collect DNA? Do you use/accept any other forms of horse identification? Do you keep a record of parentage/pedigree of all horses in your registry system? Do you keep a record of where the horses are kept? For the address of where the horses are kept do you need a PIC or simply the address? 

If a record of horse owners, what information do you require? Address of where the owner lives? Do you record where the horses are kept if at a different location? 

If your platform is used to assist in running competitions, does your organisation or system require the owner to provide details of where the horse originated from and where it will go to after the event has been held (biosecurity tracing documentation)? In the entry forms are microchip numbers required for every competing horse? In the entry forms do you simply require a horses name? Must the horse owner use the same name for their horse across all registries and competition platforms? 

Please email it to  secretary@horsecouncil.org.au

The AHIC is committed to representing the industry during this crucial time. We invite you to join us as members and subject matter experts, and attend our Industry Advisory Committee members. 

We will be announcing a new introductory membership package to help engage with you and the broader industry and ensure that government gets a comprehensive and effective voice from the equine community. 

 

 

National Horse Database Roundtable - Industry Advisory Committee meeting - November 29.

As you would be aware there has been a great deal of discussion about a National Horse Traceability Database. The AHIC has been an active participant in these discussions, including at the Senate Inquiry.   

The upcoming Industry Advisory Committee meeting is a chance for us as an industry to have a round table discussion. 

We will be hearing from a number of organisations about what data they already collect from their members and how they use it. We are interested to identify common data points that already exist in one form or another.  

For organisations planning to come to the meeting and for those who are not able to come, can you let us know the following information please? 

What would best describe your current database, system or organisation best? 

·     A record of *horses? 

·     A record of owners? 

·     A platform for running competitions or organising entries to competitions? 

·     Or all of the previous?

(*Note when reading horse/horses in the following questions, this also relates to ponies, donkeys and mules.) 

If a record of horses,does it require a microchip as means of identifying? Does it require a brand? Does it require both? Does it require no more than a name? For identification do you use a drawn representation of hair whorls, markings and any scars? For the horses do you collect DNA? Do you use/accept any other forms of horse identification? Do you keep a record of parentage/pedigree of all horses in your registry system? Do you keep a record of where the horses are kept? For the address of where the horses are kept do you need a PIC or simply the address? 

If a record of horse owners, what information do you require? Address of where the owner lives? Do you record where the horses are kept if at a different location? 

If your platform is used to assist in running competitions, does your organisation or system require the owner to provide details of where the horse originated from and where it will go to after the event has been held (biosecurity tracing documentation)? In the entry forms are microchip numbers required for every competing horse? In the entry forms do you simply require a horses name? Must the horse owner use the same name for their horse across all registries and competition platforms? 

Please come to the IAC with this information prepared and ideally if you could email it prior to  secretary@horsecouncil.org.auand for those organisations unable to attend, it would be very helpful if you are able to send through that information to us prior to the meeting on the 29th November. 

Equine industry skills 5 min survey.

What services do you purchase in the care of your horses?  

Skills Impact have asked us to let you know about a survey they are conducting.

Skills Impact would like to invite you to complete a survey about horse care and the use of specific services within the industry. We would like to hear from you, whether you are an individual horse owner or represent a business.  

The results of this survey will help in developing a project proposal for reviewing current and future skills standards and qualifications. Please help us find out! By clicking on this Survey Link to take this 5-minute survey.   

Want to know more? Please contact Diana at Skills Impact on diana@skillsimpact.com.au or follow the journey of this project by subscribing to our animal care news updates here: https://analytics-au.clickdimensions.com/cn/azujm/subscribe

About Skills Impact - a not-for-profit, industry-owned organisation that works across Australia to benchmark learning and skills standards for industry. Through our work, learners and workplaces have access to nationally consistent skills standards and qualifications, supporting greater employment opportunities and industry competitiveness. 

AHIC commends Queensland Government Inquiry following 7.30 expose.

The Australian Horse Industry Council (AHIC) commends the Queensland Government for their announcement this week of an inquiry into the regulation and oversight of retired racehorses and the operation of facilities accepting horses to process for slaughter. 

The Board of the AHIC condemns the mistreatment of former racehorses exposed by the 7.30 program on ABC TV. Prior to being put down, no breed of horse, pony, donkey or mule deserves such appalling treatment.  

If an individual horse is no longer sound, becomes un-reproductive, dangerous to be handled or incapable of re-training, finding a “for life” home is very difficult.  Horses with such caveats upon their existence deserve a humane end. 

The AHIC calls on all State Governments to implement a review of the oversight and adherence to animal welfare protocols at all horse abattoirs and knackeries in Australia. 

Mark Burnell, President of the AHIC said “This goes beyond the welfare protection of just racehorses, but extends to the Australian horse population as not only do racehorses end up being processed in abattoirs and knackeries but all breeds of horses, ponies, donkeys and mules as well. Horse owners need to have confidence that their horses will be treated humanely and professionally should they need to send them to such a facility” 

Additionally, the AHIC calls for greater implementation and oversight of the existing National Animal Transport regulations. They cover age of animals travelling, access to water and types of transport used. 

The AHIC has been a proactive participant in the Senate Inquiry into the Feasibility of a National Horse Traceability Register and awaits with interest the Senate committees report due in December 2019. 

The AHIC will be discussing the horse register and the broader subject at our upcoming Industry Advisory Committee meeting on 29 November 2019 which will see representation from a broad range of equine organisations.

 

 

November 29th - Save the date ! AGM + IAC meeting.

This years AHIC AGM will be on Friday, November 29th (updated from the 22nd as previously mentioned) in the board room of Racing Victoria. We will also be holding the last Industry Advisory Committee meeting of the year on the same day.

A key focus of that meeting will be a round table discussion of the current Senate Inquiry into the Feasibility of a National Horse Register.

More details to follow.

Do you know what you will do to look after your horse in a bushfire?

With the season already upon us, now is the time to make those plans.
Here are some key points for you to consider.

Planning before there is a fire near you.
As with your general bush fire plan, you should make a decision to stay or go early? Your own personal safety is paramount.

Talk with all members of your family about your plan so they are familiar with it and understand their roles. Practice and revise your plan before each bushfire season.

Ensure your horses are readily identifiable - have a record of their brands and microchip numbers. Keeping photos with this information also can help identify your horse. Keep this record electronically in the cloud. (In case in an extreme event your computer and paper files are lost in a fire or not accessible) Make sure your Property Identification Code (PIC) details relevant to your state are current.

Do you have enough feed and water for at least three days?

Ensure you have sufficient Veterinary medical supplies to treat injured horses. Discuss with your vet well in advance what you may need as a basic emergency kit.

If you have horses on agistment, ensure that the property owner has a bush fire plan for your horses, find out what it says and know if you are expected to do anything. If there is no bush fire plan in existence, engage with the property owner about creating one.

Prepare a “safe” paddock.

Plan where you will put your horses when a fire event is in your area. Evacuation may not be safe or possible so this might be vital for their survival.
A safe paddock should be:

  • One that is large and heavily grazed.

  • Is easy to access and well fenced.

  • Has access to a water source that does not rely on electricity. Also consider what you

    will do if you have plastic water tanks and water troughs.

  • Is not surrounded by heavy vegetation.

  • Ideally, it is a paddock your horses are familiar with.

  • Ensure that the paddock is easily accessible - gates not locked or blocked in anyway.

  • Tell your neighbours what your plans are for your horses in the event you are not

    home.

    In the event of a fire threat - high or catastrophic/Code red fire danger days

    If your plan is to leave

    If you plan to transport your horses to another area, do this well before fire or smoke arrive. Travelling on roads with horses in a float or horse truck in the midst of a fire emergency can be very dangerous to yourself and emergency services.

    As part of your plan you would have already identified and arranged a place to move your horses which is better prepared than your own – or out of the immediate fire danger area. This could include:

  • A neighbour or friend’s property

  • Local showgrounds

  • Saleyards

  • Racetracks

  • Pony club grounds

  • Commons
    You will need to check that these places are open and willing to take horses prior to arriving.

    You may also be expected to stay with your horse in some places. Arrange a group strategy with friends, other agistees or club members.

    If your fire plan is to stay - Move your horses to the safe paddock area early – it can be dangerous to yourself, your horses and emergency services if you are trying to move horses that are panicked in the midst of a fire emergency.

    Remove anything from your horses which might be flammable or melt- rugs, halters, fly veils.

    Write your contact information on your horse - on their hooves with marker pen or on their body. Remember to have your address or property name included – in a fire emergency it is highly likely that mobile communications will be compromised.

    If there is time, plait and tie up their mane and tail to reduce the chance of them catching fire.

    Check that water troughs are full. Fill additional containers as a back-up. You may lose power and water supply during a fire emergency. Plastic troughs and water tanks may melt.

Open any internal gates to give your horses as much available space as possible. Ensure thathorses can’t get trapped with paddock layout.

Do not turn your horses out on the road, they will be a danger to themselves and emergency vehicles.

After the fire has passed

When the fire threat has passed, inspect your animals for burns or injuries.

A horse suffering from burns or smoke inhalation or both requires prompt veterinary attention. Until the vet arrives, you can:

  • Hose affected areas with cold water or sponge if hosing is not available

  • If legs are affected, try standing your horse in a bucket of water

  • Any first-aid administered should be anti-inflammatory.

    Continue to monitor horses closely for several days as some injuries (to feet especially) may not be immediately obvious.

    Move horses away from hot ground as this can lead to further injuries including laminitis.

    Look for hot spots in the paddock such as tree roots which may still be burning and could cause injuries to feet and legs.

    Check that the water supplies are adequate and haven’t been contaminated by falling ash orfire-fighting foam.

    Have a look at fencing and shelters and any other structures in the paddock to ensure their integrity.

    Do not feed hay on burnt ground covered in ash if possible.

    Preparation is key for the survival of your horses in the event of a bushfire. There are many additional resources available to help you and tailor this information to your area. Contact your local Rural Fire or CFA Services and State Primary Industry Departments.

    Information for this article has been sourced from -

    Lecture by Courtney Stevens, veterinary nurse, farmer and former RSPCA inspector, at the St Albans Rural Fire Service “Get Ready”weekend October 19.
    NSW Department of Primary Industries publication – “Emergency Management – Horse Safety in Disasters”
    South Australian Country Fire Service publication - “Looking after Horses in Bushfires”

    NSW RFS and NSW Fire and Rescue publication - “Information for Rural Landholders and Farmers – Livestock and Large Animals” Victorian CFA publication – “Horses and Bushfires”

Appearance before the Senate Committee looking into the Feasibility of a National Horse Register.

The second public hearing into the feasibility of a national horse register was held at Parliament House Canberra on Friday, September 20.

You can read the Committee Hansard of the day here.

The AHIC would like to thank the committee for the opportunity for our President, Mark Burnell to appear today. This is the opening statement from the AHIC to the hearing.

There is a great deal of interest in the register from across the equine community and the AHIC undertakes to continue to consult with our members and the wider industry.

Prior to the commencement of public hearings, organisations and individuals had the ability to make a submission for consideration. You can find the AHIC submission and all submissions here.

The AHIC holds a number of Industry Advisory Committee meetings throughout the year, the next one will be in November and the Senate Inquiry will once again be a major agenda item for discussion for our members.

We will let you know where and when that will be shortly.

National Horse Traceability Register

The second Public Hearing by the Senate Standing Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport will be held at Parliament House Canberra on Friday, September 20.

Mark Burnell, President of the AHIC will appear before the committee at 10am.

The committee is examining the feasibility of a National Horse Traceability Register for all horses, with particular reference to:

  1. the existence and adequacy of state or industry-based registers;

  2. the benefits of a national register, including for animal welfare, biosecurity safety (including for the prevention and management of Emergency Animal Diseases, such as equine influenza and African Horse Sickness), backyard breeding and the integrity of trade in horses;

  3. overseas models of national tracking systems for horses;

  4. funding, enforcement and penalty implications; and

  5. any related matters.

A number of submissions have been made to the committee, including by the AHIC. The committee will report back by December 5.

Welcome to the new Australian Horse Industry Council website!

This is just the beginning of our new website. Over the next few months, this will grow and evolve into something we hope is a useful place for you to bookmark and visit regularly,

The website is just one outcome of a reinvigorated AHIC.

A lot of work has been going on quietly in the background this year as we relaunch the AHIC to better serve our members and the broader horse industry.

As you probably know, the AHIC is made up of a number of volunteer Board members with interests across a wide spectrum of the horse industry. This ranges from dressage, Australian Stock Horses, racing, endurance, pony club, showing, eventing and many breed societies.

The underlying connection is a passion to promote and support the Australian Horse Industry, animal well- being and the people involved in equine activities.

In the last 12months, some of our long-standing Board members have retired from the AHIC. We want to acknowledge the great work and years of dedication of Dr Roger Lavelle, Hunter Jones and Nina Arnott.

Another big change for the AHIC was the retirement of our secretary of more than 15 years, Judy Tainch. We know that we speak on behalf of many, many members when we say thank you to Judy for everything that you have contributed. A shout out also to Edwina Boase-Stratford who stepped in as interim Secretary after Judy retired. 

We welcome Ned Patterson as our new part time secretary. The way of contacting the secretary remains the same -  secretary@horsecouncil.org.au

We also welcome new Board members who have generously agreed to volunteer their considerable expertise - Katya Ellis, Linda Bracken, Mark Ewing and Rachael Tricarico

Find out more about them here.

Our other major priorities for the rest of the year for the Horse Council -

  • Reconnecting with our members, member organisations and affiliate members and improving our communication with you.

  • Representing the Horse Industry and being a conduit to members with various Government activities including the Senate Inquiry into a National Horse Database and Traceability System; proposed changes to Urban Planning – already flagged in Victoria and potentially other states; Emergency Preparedness – covering disease and natural disasters.

This is an exciting time for the Horse Industry Council, it’s your Council, so please engage with us and let us know how we can best work together to promote the Horse Industry in our country.

Industry Advisory Committee Meeting Highlights - August 2019.

We had another very successful IAC meeting in the Boardroom of Racing Victoria with representation from a wide range of member organisations.

Here is a high-level summary of the main things discussed and some thoughts about how you can help us or be involved in progressing some of these areas.

Whole of Industry Survey.

As a Council, we have often discussed the benefits of having an accurate overview of the numbers of horses and people and therefore economic benefits of the Equine Industry in Australia. This helps all of us in making representations to Government about the scale and importance of not just the racing industry, but importantly the entire Equestrian Industry across the country. Many sports have done similar work to quantify the level of engagement with their sport as a solid basis for advocacy for their area of recreation.

Because of the disparate nature of equestrian pursuits, this has been harder to collate.

The AHIC have been in discussions with Paul Limoli, an experienced researcher to scope what doing something similar for the Horse Industry may involve. I attach some information on his proposed approach for your interest and feedback.

The survey isn’t cheap and it isn’t something that the AHIC can afford to commission. We had a good discussion at the IAC about the importance of such a survey and ways it may be able to be done and if there are other approaches (that are cheaper.)

One thought was to see if there could be a question included in next year’s National Census by the ABS. Preliminary research looks like submissions for potential questions have closed. We are investigating if there is a way of purchasing a question in the Census.

Where you come in

Would you consider adding in a few questions to your membership renewals/competition entries as a way of starting to collate some data renewals?

These could include;

• How many horses do you own?

• Do you have horses that have multiple registrations across performance or breed societies (eg; a quarter horse might be registered with the AQHA as well as a number of Western riding competition organisations.)

If we start to collect and retain that information across our member organisations, it would give the survey a head start.

We will be continuing to talk with the survey company on ways to improve their approach and we welcome your suggestions and input. We are also interested in your feedback about how as an Industry we might be able to afford to undertake the survey.

Diana McNaughton – Industry Engagement Manager - Skills Impact.

The meeting had a chance to hear from Diana McNaughton from Skills Impact. Skills Impact’s role as a National Skills Service organisation is to work in collaboration with industry, Government and training providers.

There was discussion around VET training in the Equine sector and the current challenges.

While there are TAFE’s delivering some training, it seems that the way the modules and courses relating to our Industry and split across three areas, rather in one coherent stream.

Skills Impact are looking to us as the representatives of the Horse Industry to give them feedback about what we need and want from the VET sector.

There was considerable discussion around the proliferation of “on-line” training being offered including coaching qualifications. The wide range of non-accredited training was a concern to attendees at the IAC particularly the potential safety issues which may arise from people completing unregulated online courses.

Where you come in

Can you please have a conversation in your Societies and organisations around these questions?

• How important is it to have qualified people employed working in your businesses, competitions and training days?

• Do you find there is a shortage of staff, especially qualified staff?

• Do they know how many people as a % are employed within their membership group that have an equine qualification?

• How important is it that people have a qualification?

• What gaps are there in the VET training that is currently available? Eg; saddle fitting, remedial therapist, nutritionist, trainer/coach.

We would love to hear that feedback at our next IAC as we continue to engage with Skills Impact to advocate for improved training for our industry.

In Brief

Harness Racing Australia notified IAC attendees that they are introducing some serious regulation around the use of the bisphosphonate class such a Tildren for participants of the Harness Racing Industry.

Updates from last IAC

1. Senate Inquiry into the Feasibility of National Horse Register.

It was noted that the Senate Inquiry has invited the AHIC and other organisations that made a submission to address the Inquiry in September.

2. Large Animal Rescue.

Mark Burnell updated the meeting with some excellent progress in being able to create a recognised Large Animal Rescue course adapting the best practice work of Anton Phillips for Australia.

And finally, we acknowledged the sad passing of Alex Morgan, a founding member of the AHIC, Victorian horse council, Life member of the Aust Pony Stud Book society and a passionate advocate of the horse industry.

“Have your say” - Industry Advisory Committee meeting – 16th August

All members and affiliate members are invited to come along to the next IAC in August at Flemington Racecourse.

It’s a packed agenda with some interesting speakers and topics (oh and you get lunch too!)

Some of the things we will be discussing include:

  • The Federal Senate Inquiry into the feasibility of a national horse database

  • EU Recognition of Australian Studbooks

  • We will hear from respected Equine Industry market researcher, Paul Limoli on a whole of Industry Stocktake.

  • A session on equine spinal health and new innovations in saddle making and fitting from Peter Horobin.

Please come along and join the discussion.

Where – Board Room of Racing Victoria, 400 Epsom Rd Flemington
When - August 16th

Please register with our secretary so we know how many to cater for (did I mention there is lunch?  - please let her know if you have any dietary requirements) and she will send you all the details on final agenda, timing and speakers. secretary@horsecouncil.org.au

Hendra case in the NSW Upper Hunter Valley

You may have caught up on the news that there has been a confirmed case of Hendra in the NSW Upper Hunter Valley.

The NSW DPI confirmed that this was found in an unvaccinated mare on a property near Scone, one of the major centres of Thoroughbred breeding in Australia.

Further information from the NSW DPI -

“The horse developed neurological signs on Friday, 7 June, three days after being confined to a yard. It was euthanased by the owners after becoming unresponsive. As the horse was unvaccinated and had a sudden onset of neurological signs, the owners contacted the animal diseases hotline.

A District Veterinarian from Hunter Local Lands Services visited the property on Sunday 9 June to collect samples for Hendra Virus testing. Hendra virus infection was confirmed by the State Veterinary laboratory at Menangle on Wednesday, 12 June.

No other horses on the property are showing any signs of ill health. Their health status will be monitored daily. Officers from NSW health are undertaking risk assessments of people who have had varying degrees of contact with the affected horse to determine their risk.

Tracing of horse movements in the previous 16 days will be undertaken and a Biosecurity Direction is in place to control the movement of animals and people on and off the property.

Hendra virus infection is notifiable in NSW under the NSW Biosecurity Act. Most cases in NSW have been on the north coast, with a case at Kempsey in 2013 being the most southern case prior to the current case.

In NSW to date there have been 22 horse deaths as a result of Hendra virus on 20 properties since the first NSW case in 2006. There have been no human deaths from Hendra virus in NSW. Vaccination of horses is the most effective way to help manage Hendra virus disease.”

Further reading
Hendra virus

If you have any questions relating to Hendra vaccination, The Australian Horse Industry Council suggests that you consult your Specialist Equine Veterinarian to discuss your circumstances.