France introduce retrospective EIA testing of horses from Rumania

Cuffey

Cuffey

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 February 2003
Messages
3,151
Location
SW Scotland
Visit site
France introduce retrospective EIA testing of horses from Rumania

http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=9760

The infected equine was introduced into France from Romania (via Belgium) in April 2008. No clinical signs were observed and it was detected as part of an epidemiological investigation targeting equines at risk of equine infectious anæmia (equines imported into France from Romania since 1 January 2007).

Germany has outbreaks in 3 areas Hessen, Bayern and Rheinland-Pfalz all put down to illegal movement of horses
http://www.oie.int/wahis/public.php?page=single_report&pop=1&reportid=9660

Swindon in January
The positive mares were part of a consignment of ten horses imported into Great Britain from Belgium on 22 December 2009. Nine out of the ten horses had been previously imported into Belgium from Romania. The consignment was randomly checked as part of routine measures to confirm compliance with trade rules. Restrictions have been placed on the infected premises and one in-contact premises.

Ashington case Sept--documentary irregularities

Devon case Sept, horse imported in 2008 but only showing symptoms this summer

My question to DEFRA would be:
In light of the horse in Devon postive for EIA after 2 years in UK, do you plan to introduce the same retrospective testing for all horses imported from Rumania in the last 3 years that France is now undertaking?

Many of us are very aware how many horses have been imported by certain dealers in recent years, do we really need this trade?
 
The only Rumanian horses accepted here in Italy are those destined for the Italian slaughter houses or those on route to other european slaughter houses. As with the Aregentinian live horsemeat trade, some of them 'fall off' the truck and end up being sold as riding horses in Italy and the rest of europe. If you meet a horse with the tip of its ear missing (normally the right) you can be assured that he was on his way to the dinner plate. All meat horses imported from Argentina are ear tagged and when they are sold as riding horses the tag is cut off taking part of the ear with it. Some other countries such as Bugaria burn a letter onto the hoof wall to show that the horse has been sold/bought as a meat animal. I find it very strange that european countries accept Rumanian horses without very stringent controls! Rumanian horse meat is also known to carry trichinellosis.
 
Cuffey said:
It is a legal requirement under EU law

Think this helps to explain what goes wrong
http://www.equidblog.com/tags/equine-infectious-anemia-eia/
Click to expand...

When we purchased our shagya mares from Hungary, they required a certificate of health to travel, nothing else, they could have been sent to slaughter with that. I insisted on EVA tests before they left and had them re-vetted on arrival.

Mainland Europe has no border/customs posts anymore and who checks? Both Haras Nationaux and DEFRA know, because I have told them, that the biggest horse abattoir in France, brings a lorry load of horses in from Spain each week. Many of these horses have no paperwork and can be sold on if the price is right.

Even Brits moving to France, like me, have enormous difficulty in understanding French red tape. When I moved here in 2005 neither BEF nor DEFRA knew there was compulsory registration for imported horses on the French SIRE database.

Friends of ours who have lived here for 5 years were told last year by their French vet, that he would not vaccinate their horses in future without a SIRE number. They have TB and TBxID and did not know they needed to get their horses registered.

So imagine cheap, non-pedigree horses shipped in from Romania, used for leisure riding, who may or may not have passports and have never been registered on the French Database?

How will France find all these Romanian horses? The sort of people who buy 'bargain' horses probably won't bother to vaccinate anyway. My vets never check my passports.
 
Cuffey said:
It is a legal requirement under EU law

Think this helps to explain what goes wrong
http://www.equidblog.com/tags/equine-infectious-anemia-eia/
Click to expand...

Ah, so does that mean that positive horses can be still exported for meat?

It just baffles me why anybody (including dealers here) would like to buy an ill horse. The Coggins test is easy enough and not that expensive. I import horses from Central Europe quite often - it has never occurred to me not to have a pre-export vetting (including Coggins) done:confused::o
 
martlin said:
Ah, so does that mean that positive horses can be still exported for meat?
Click to expand...

I suspect legally not, but it happens
EU ruling
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2007/l_115/l_11520070503en00180019.pdf

It just baffles me why anybody (including dealers here) would like to buy an ill horse. The Coggins test is easy enough and not that expensive. I import horses from Central Europe quite often - it has never occurred to me not to have a pre-export vetting (including Coggins) done:confused::o
Click to expand...

The puzzle being most of these horses are not showing symptoms, the horse in Devon was here 2 years before becoming ill which may be a reason why the French are now going back 3 years to test imports.
I suspect many buyers may not even know they have a Rumanian horse if it has been re-passported.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top