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The FEI would like to inform the equestrian community about a feedstuff contamination with Zilpaterol, a Banned Substance on the Equine Prohibited Substances List, following an alert from feed producer GAIN Equine Nutrition advising its equine customers to refrain from feeding their current stock of GAIN Equine products.
On 2 October 2020, the French horse racing authority France Galop announced that five horses had tested positive to Zilpaterol. The substance appears to have derived from the ingestion of contaminated feed.
Zilpaterol is a beta-agonist drug used as a feed additive to increase muscle mass in beef cattle. It can also improve lung function. A number of countries prohibit its use in food producing animals.
The FEI recommends that samples are kept of batches of feed and supplements given to competition horses to enable a thorough investigation to take place should the horse test positive for Zilpaterol.
Under the FEI Regulations, it is not possible for horses to be tested for Zilpaterol under the Elective Testing scheme as it is a Banned Substance.
It is strongly advised that horses that may have inadvertently ingested Zilpaterol are withdrawn from competition.
Further information on contamination prevention can be found here.
The latest updates from GAIN on this issue are available here.
Please find attached updates about:
The World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) was notified on 27 March by the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), the veterinary authority of Thailand, of an outbreak of African Horse Sickness (AHS) in the Pak Chong district, Nakorn in the north-east of the country. In the initial notification, 341 horses were reported susceptible, of which 62 were confirmed infected. Out of these 62 horses, 42 are reported to have died.
Up to 28 April, outbreaks have been confirmed in seven provinces, with a total of 1,829 susceptible horses, of which 394 have died out of 438 confirmed cases.
As a result of the outbreak, the OIE has suspended the AHS-free status of Thailand.
AHS is spread by insect vectors such as midges, some types of mosquitos and ticks. All species of equidae can be infected by the disease. Horses and mules often die from the infection, while donkeys are much less susceptible and zebras rarely show clinical signs. The disease can be caused by any of nine serotypes of the virus. This outbreak has been caused by serotype 1.
Please visit the OIE website for more information on AHS.
Having been briefed by DLD, the Thailand Equestrian Federation (TEF) immediately took measures, restricting movement of horses by their members. The Federation is also in contact with the FEI Veterinary Department and Jack Huang, FEI Vice President and Chair of FEI Regional Group VIII. TEF has reported that Equestrian horses have not been as badly impacted by the outbreak as racehorses.
DLD initially reported that the following measures were taken:
• Movement control inside the country
• Surveillance outside containment and/or protection zone
• Surveillance within containment and/or protection zone
• Quarantine
• Zoning
• Disinfection
• Control of vectors
• Vector surveillance
• Vaccination permitted (if a vaccine exists)
• No treatment of affected animals
The OIE arranged a webinar on 28 April during which DLD presented their strategy to eradicate the virus. Key elements are zoning and strategic vaccination using a South African vaccine aimed at regaining the country’s AHS-free status. Countries in the region have increased their preparedness for a further spread of the disease with vector protection, increased surveillance and restriction of movement of horses.
The FEI is working closely with its partners – the OIE and the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities (IFHA) under the umbrella body, the International Horse Sport Confederation (IHSC) – to support the Thai authorities and sport horse industry to stop this outbreak. The OIE arranges technical webinars that are well attended by private and public stakeholders.
Please find attached updates about:
The World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) was notified on 27 March by the Department of Livestock Development (DLD), the veterinary authority of Thailand, of an outbreak of African Horse Sickness (AHS) in the Pak Chong district, Nakorn in the north-east of the country. In the initial notification, 341 horses were reported susceptible, of which 62 were confirmed infected. Out of these 62 horses, 42 are reported to have died.
A further two outbreaks were reported to the OIE on 3 April. One outbreak occurred in Hua Hin district, in the Prachuap Khiri Khan province where 10 horses out of a group of 15 susceptible horses have died. In the Ko Chan district of the Chon Buri province, there were 33 susceptible horses of which 6 were infectious. Five out of the 6 horses died.
As a result of the outbreak, the OIE has suspended the AHS-free status of Thailand.
AHS is spread by insect vectors such as midges and some types of mosquitos and ticks. All species of equidae can be infected by the disease. Horses and mules often die from the infection, while donkeys are much less susceptible and zebras rarely show clinical signs. The disease can be caused by any of nine serotypes of the virus. The serotype in this outbreak has not yet been communicated by DLD.
Please visit the OIE website for more information on AHS.
Having been briefed by DLD, the Thailand Equestrian Federation immediately took measures, restricting movement of horses by their members. The Federation is also in close contact with the FEI Veterinary Department and Jack Huang, FEI Vice President and Chair of FEI Regional Group VIII.
DLD has reported that the following measures have been taken:
• Movement control inside the country
• Surveillance outside containment and/or protection zone
• Surveillance within containment and/or protection zone
• Quarantine
• Zoning
• Disinfection
• Control of vectors
• Vector surveillance
• Vaccination permitted (if a vaccine exists)
• No treatment of affected animals
The FEI is working closely with its partners – the OIE and the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities (IFHA) under the umbrella body, the International Horse Sport Confederation (IHSC) – to support the Thai authorities and sport horse industry to stop this outbreak.
An outbreak of Glanders has been contained on the island of Büyükada, the largest of the nine Princes’ Islands off Istanbul (TUR). Turkish authorities culled 81 horses on the island in December, barred the entry and exit of animals on the island and have also banned the use of horse-drawn carriages on Büyükada for a three-month period to prevent the spread of the disease. A further three outbreaks have been reported in the provinces of Bolu in the north west of the country and Uşak in the interior part of the Aegean region, resulting in an additional 11 horses being culled by the Turkish authorities.
As glanders is a notifiable disease, the Turkish authorities formally notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) of the outbreaks on 23 and 31 December. The FEI and European Equestrian Federation (EEF) were informed of the initial outbreak in Büyükada by the Turkish National Head Veterinarian on 19 December. As the outbreaks have been contained and all necessary biosecurity measures have been implemented, there is no impact on FEI events at this point, but the Turkish authorities are continuing to provide regular updates to the FEI and the EEF. There was a previous outbreak of glanders in Turkey two years ago.
Glanders is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei. It primarily affects equidae (horses, donkeys and mules), but the bacteria that cause glanders can be transmitted to humans through contact with tissues or body fluids of infected animals. There is currently no vaccine against glanders, but strict biosecurity measures are an effective preventative. Control depends on early detection and humane destruction of seropositive animals to stop the spread of the disease.
The FEI Veterinary Department would like to update you with some information relevant to your role. Read more ...
The FEI Veterinary Department would like to update you with some information relevant to your role. Read more ...
The British government has issued guidance on the movement of horses in the event Britain does not finalise a withdrawal agreement with European Union (EU) negotiators by 29 March 2019. With just weeks to go until the 29 March deadline, the British Parliament has yet to approve the terms of withdrawal negotiated with the EU. In the event that Britain leaves the EU without a deal, the travel requirements for horses after 29 March will depend on: 1) whether the EU lists Britain as a ‘third country’ (i.e. countries and regions outside the European Union), and 2) the health status category in which the EU places Britain. The British government is continuing to negotiate with the European Commission on securing listed status for Britain, which would enable the continued movement of horses to EU member states. However, in case of a ‘no deal’, horse owners need to be aware that horses travelling from the EU to Britain:
Currently we have been informed that there will not be any changes to import regulations for FEI horses travelling from the EU into Britain, but updates will be provided. The guidance is designed to give horse owners as much time to prepare for these new processes and factor in any extra travel time they may require when travelling to and from the EU. The guidance issued by the British government can be found here. British-based horse owners and those planning to transport FEI registered horses to Britain to compete at FEI events are encouraged to refer to this site frequently for updates on the situation.
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