African horses sickness challenges export
MIDRAND - With the Kyalami, Beaulieu, Blue Hills and Midrand areas playing a large role in the horse industry, community members were interested in a strategy workshop for the export of horses from South Africa.
It was held at the Wits Health Consortium in April and saw attendees from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the sport horse and horse racing industry. Experts from Australia, Italy, Singapore and the USA participated in the workshop.
The export of horses provides South Africa with a foreign exchange income of about R250 million per annum, with a potential for growth to more than R1 billion per annum and significant job creation. Trade is currently hampered by severe quarantine restrictions, and the recent outbreaks of African horse sickness in 2011, 2013 and this year in the African horse sickness controlled area in the Western Cape. This led to the temporary suspension of exports to the European Union and other trading partners.
The meeting recognised that the existing strategy was fragile, with South Africa only being able to export for 50 percent of the time in the past 17 years.
Prof. Ian Sanne who hosted the workshop said, “This important meeting has demonstrated the ability of all parties from national and provincial government, and those involved in the sport horse and horse racing industry to collaborate towards the objective of African horse sickness disease control and export of horses.”
Among the recommended approaches for exporting was that horses should be exported from the vector-protected Kenilworth Quarantine Station, situated in the African horse sickness free zone in Cape Town, to Mauritius. It was also recommended to continue to export from South Africa to the USA with a 60-day post-arrival quarantine.
An investigation of the viability of establishing an African horse sickness free zone in a part of South Africa where the risk of outbreaks is considerably reduced was also advocated. The meeting recommended continued investment in the co-ordination of surveillance, movement control and reporting of disease within South Africa and internationally.
Ongoing development of a recombinant vaccine, with related laboratory testing approaches will seek to replace the current live-attenuated vaccine.
