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FEI Tribunal lifts 11 provisional suspensions
Jockeys
Banned substances should never be found in the body of the horse.

Horses previously tested for banned substances

Provisional suspensions being served by 11 equine athletes - including two show jumping, two dressage, seven endurance and three endurance trainers - have been lifted by the FEI Tribunal.

The two show jumping athletes, Brazil’s Marlon Modolo Zanotelli and Great Britain’s Henry Turrell, both had their provisional suspensions lifted as of midnight on 27 April.
Their horses both tested positive for the banned substance Sparteine after competing at separate events last month.

The FEI Tribunal says that its decision to lift the provisional suspensions was mainly based on scientific evidence presented by the two athletes which suggests the likelihood of food contamination.

The provisional suspensions imposed on the endurance athletes and trainers were lifted at midnight on 30 April, due to the reclassification of a banned substance. Their horses tested positive for caffeine and a number of metabolites whilst completing at various events in Al Wathba earlier this year.

In a separate case, two dressage athletes - Adrienne Lyle and Kaitlin Blythe - had been provisionally suspended since 5 April. Their horses tested positive to the banned substance Ractopamine whilst competing in Dressage competitions in Wellington (USA) in February.
 
Their provisional suspensions were lifted at midnight on 28 April following evidence provided by the two athletes that a feed supplement given to the horses had been contaminated.

The FEI’s Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections - Controlled Medication and Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are those that are used regularly to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned substances should never be found in the body of the horse.
 
In the case of an adverse analytical finding for a Banned Substance, the Person Responsible is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification. The horse is suspended for two months.

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.