Australia, Australian Horse Council

Nota: Solo hay que adaptarlo a nuestro país,

¿Porqué no lo hacemos?

¿Cuanto hace que estamos hablando de hacer esto en la Argentina?

Australian Horse Council

Who are we?

The Australian Horse Industry Council (AHIC) represents the interests of all persons and the health and welfare of all horses in the Australian horse industry.

The AHIC exists through the voluntary services of elected Directors and Trustees and the expertise of individuals co-opted on to sub-committees. Financial support for AHIC activities is derived from subscriptions from associations and individuals.

Why are we needed?

There are many groups within the horse industry with each group having special interests. However many issues facing these groups are not unique and affect large parts of the industry. These issues are more appropriately and effectively addressed by a single national body rather than a multitude of organisations representing different industry groups. The AHIC in conjunction with State Horse Councils aims to address these issues.

What do we do?

Specific functions currently undertaken by the AHIC and State Horse Councils relate to the following areas:

• Horse health and quarantine
• Seeking agreement from Government on funding for disease emergencies
• Promotion of R&D to benefit the industry
• Establishing a funding mechanism for equine R&D and health programs
• Horse welfare and rider safety
• Maintenance of access to public lands for safe and environmentally responsible horse activities.
• Responsible use of grazing areas by horse owners
• Dissemination of information concerning the horse industry
• Monitoring of legislative and administrative decisions, acts, regulations and proposals which concern or may concern the horse or horse industry
• Maintenance of a high level of liaison between the horse industry and governments
• Establishment of a data-base to aid communication within the industry
• Taxation issues

What have we done?

Despite limited resources the AHIC has for many years given highly effective representation of horse industry views. In particular this has been achieved through the work of the Quarantine and Health Sub-Committee. For many years the Quarantine and Health Sub-Committee has liaised with government quarantine authorities to protect the health of all horses in Australia. The Sub-Committee has utilised the services of expert veterinarians and others involved in all parts of the horse industry.

The AHIC addressed the public liability crisis by:

• Development of the Code of Practice with the cooperation of a number of horse groups and interested individuals
• Working with Federal and State bureaucrats and politicians to improve the legal protection of clubs, individuals and businesses offering potentially risky activities.
• Liaising with insurance companies to encourage them to offer insurance for horse activities.
• Introduction of Horsesafe to recognise businesses working to the Code of Practice.

What are our plans?

The AHIC devised the concept of the Horse Emergency Contact Database (HECD) to assist horse owners to protect the welfare of their horses in emergencies. The project has received State and Federal funding, administered through NSW Department of Primary Industries.

The AHIC has had prolonged negotiations with Animal Health Australia (AHA) and the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) to provide horses with government assistance in the event of an outbreak of emergency diseases equal to that provided to other livestock species. The major impediment is the lack of a levy on the horse industry that could be used to pay a share of the disease response.