AUSTRALIA EXTEND HORSE BAN The Australian government has extended its ban on the importation of horses from Britain and Ireland to include the whole of the European Union. This follows the spread of foot and mouth disease to France. The ban also includes any country where foot and mouth is endemic or where there has been an outbreak of the disease. The measures, if still in place come July, would disrupt the movement of shuttle stallions such as Danehill, Anabaa and Octagonal. Carson Creagh, a spokesman for the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, appeared to rule out these stallions entering Australia via the United States. He told the AAP: 'If they (the stallions) have been in the UK and Northern Ireland during the times of concern, we are unlikely to accept them without extra quarantine arrangements. We can`t say definitely one way or the other. 'Horses aren`t directly the issue. It is their tack and their gear. We simply can`t afford to take any chances. If there is temporary inconvenience so be it. The consequences of the disease are serious.'
