HIGH profile international equestrians Nikki and Blair Richardson have welcomed news that Australia’s equine quarantine system will be vastly improved to reduce the risk of an outbreak such as the Equine Influenza pandemic that brought the industry to a standstill last spring.
“The Callinan report has confirmed what we all suspected; that EI came out of Eastern Creek. It is just a shame it was a government blunder but if you want to look at the positive side, we are lucky it was not Foot and Mouth Disease or a disease that would have required livestock to be destroyed,” Mr Richardson said.
“There were a lot more people than those in the thoroughbred industry adversely affected,” he added. The couple was at an elite three-day event in Warwick in Queensland when the outbreak occurred. They were caught in the lockdown for 41 arduous days.
“It was a disaster,” Mr Richardson recalled.
“Our busiest time for coaching and clinics is August, September and October and everything was cancelled so we had zero income there, and as we had horses stranded in two states we had to employ extra staff to care for them.
“It was one big, long nightmare to juggle it all, and although there was some funding assistance available, it did not cover our losses,” he said.
“Pony Club events were cancelled for many months and pony club is the nursery for our future Australian representatives – there are kids with enthusiasm and big dreams and it is so important to keep these kids in the sport,” Mr Richardson said.
Nikki’s passion for eventing began at Merriwa Pony Club and she has represented Australia at events including the 1996 Atlanta Olympics while Blair participated in pony club in New Zealand and has represented his country abroad.
Like many in the Upper Hunter who rely on horses for their livelihood, the Richardsons weathered the crisis and with sons Oscar, 4, and Charlie, 2, relocated from Bunnan to Vantage Hill at Scone to rebuild and expand their business.
Thoroughbred Breeders Australia President and Arrowfield managing director John Messara said the Callinan report’s 38 recommendations were “comprehensive” and “far reaching”.
“We totally endorse the recommendations as necessary to repair a dangerously inadequate quarantine system,” he said.
“The industry is resilient and survived EI intact but there have been numerous examples of severe hardship.
“Now we want to get on with reforming the quarantine system.”
Messara acknowledged that there were lessons to be learned by importers in observing quarantine protocols even though they were not being enforced by AQIS.
“We note Justice Callinan’s criticism of shared responsibility notwithstanding the complete failure by AQIS to enforce import protocols,” he said.
Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’Landys said the report contained few surprises for the industry.
Justice Callinan found the virus was probably brought to Australia by a shipment of horses from Japan.
The inquiry was unable to determine just how it got out of Eastern Creek and into the general horse population in NSW and Queensland but was most likely to have been taken out by a person or equipment which was not subjected to the correct biosecurity measures.
The commissioner was scathing in his criticism of procedures at Eastern Creek but made no findings on legal liability.
Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke on Thursday announced last week that the Rudd government would adopt all 38 recommendations made in the report.