ACT POLICE HORSES WELCOMED HOME

Three Australian Federal Police horses were welcomed home on Saturday after being stranded in Sydney by last year’s outbreak of equine influenza.

Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said the three horses were sent to Sydney as part of the first consignment to participate in the security measures for the APEC conference last year, but were stranded in Sydney when EI led to a ban on horse movements.

“The horses were stabled at Redfern with the NSW Mounted Police when the Equine Influenza outbreak occurred at Centennial Park in Sydney,” Mr Stanhope said. “As a consequence the ACT horses became infected along with NSW Police horses and were caught up in the earliest quarantine measures in NSW.

“The ACT horses have now been cleared for release due to the decline in the disease risk and after completing movement clearance tests and decontamination protocols,” Mr Stanhope said.

Mr Stanhope said that while stabled in NSW, the ACT horses were used by NSW Police for operational use within the purple zone of NSW.

“This homecoming is the culmination of a six month project and is indicative of the cooperation between the AFP, NSW Police and the ACT Government.

AFP Team Leader Federal Agent Hilary Fletcher has been anxiously waiting for the day the entire compliment of ACT horses would be reunited in Canberra.

“It has been a long wait, but it is wonderful to have the horses back home and together again,” Federal Agent Fletcher said. “The horses arrived over the weekend, and both AFP and ACT Government staff participated in the decontamination and repatriation of the horses.

Mr Stanhope said that while it has been a long and arduous time for everyone involved in the fight against equine influenza, with the decline in disease risk the need to restrict horse movements has eased.

“The ACT is currently a White EI free zone which has allowed us to relax the restrictions on the movement of horses and donkeys and has enabled the reintroduction of some equestrian events in the ACT,” he said. “But I remind horse and donkey owners that while the NSW EI situation continues to contract there is still a need to be vigilant.

“While the ACT remains free of EI, horse owners and others dealing with horses have an ongoing obligation to continue personal hygiene measures, to look for any sign of equine influenza and report any suspected signs of infection to the Hotline on1800 675 888,” Mr Stanhope said.

To apply for an Equine Movement Statement or register an event, call the Territory and Municipal Services Local Disease Control Centre on 6207 8705.

For more information visit www.outbreak.gov.au or www.tams.act.gov.au