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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 10th December 2012
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Animal health experts head to Panama for sport horse summit
Talks hope to find a solution to current import and export procedures

A summit on the international movement of horses will be held this week (11-13 December) in Panama City. Over 60 government representatives and veterinary and horse experts from 23 countries will be attending.

The summit has been organised by the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) and the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). It comes at a time when participation in equestrian sport has reached a record high in South America and the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games are on the horizon.

Talks will be held over current import and export procedures and finding new solutions. The current procedures in place do not take into consideration the lower risks of “high-health” sport horses, and which are restricting the growth of top-level equestrian sport in the region.

The experts heading to Panama City will focus on updating their current biosecurity protocols, put in place to protect animal and human populations against the risk of disease spread. In turn this allows “high-health, high performance” sport horses to travel safely and swiftly across borders.

Over 300 equestrian events governed by the FEI have taken place in South America this year, with worldwide competitions growing by 27% since 2008 to more than 3,000 a year.

The clock is also ticking towards Rio 2016, when in 1,336 days South America will host its first Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian competitions. 


“Horse sport in South America already has a huge economic impact, creating tens of thousands of jobs and sustaining many industries associated with the sport,” explained HRH Princess Haya, FEI President and OIE Goodwill Ambassador, ahead of the talks.


“In the run up to the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, there will be several thousand more equestrian events across South America but to sustain and promote this growth, horses must be able to move without difficulty across borders to compete while we ensure biosecurity protocols are adhered to.” 

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Birmingham Dogs Home makes urgent appeal

News Story 1
 Birmingham Dogs Home has issued an urgent winter appeal as it faces more challenges over the Christmas period.

The rescue centre has seen a dramatic increase in dogs coming into its care, and is currently caring for over 200 dogs. With rising costs and dropping temperatures, the charity is calling for urgent support.

It costs the charity £6,000 per day to continue its work.

Fi Harrison, head of fundraising and communications, said: "It's heart-breaking for our team to see the conditions some dogs arrive in. We really are their last chance and hope of survival."

More information about the appeal can be found here. 

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Avian flu confirmed at premises in Cornwall

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 has been detected in commercial poultry at a premises near Rosudgeon, Cornwall.

All poultry on the infected site will be humanely culled, and a 3km protection zone and 10km surveillance zone have been put in place. Poultry and other captive birds in the 3km protection zone must be housed.

The case is the second avian flu case confirmed in commercial poultry this month. The H5N5 strain was detected in a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, in early November. Before then, the disease had not been confirmed in captive birds in England since February.

The UK chief veterinary officer has urged bird keepers to remain alert and practise robust biosecurity.

A map of the disease control zones can be found here.