Below is a notice from the government of Canada notifying horse owners of a change that will take place as of July 31st regarding their new mandate to have complete medical data available for all horses being presented for slaughter. Why is it important now? Because now marks the beginning of the six month period for starting to keep those records.

In many cases, it will never affect the average horse owner as they never intend to present their horses for slaughter. However, it will affect how people purchase horses in the future. Horse buyers will want this drug-history even if they never intend on their horses going to slaughter. It will become part of the norm.  In the article below you will find the links to the new "Equine Information Document"  (EID) that will be required with the sale of horses, or those presented for slaughter. For your convenience, Equine Niagara News has made a simple form for keeping track of medications administered to your horses and the reasons for it. Click here to download the tracking form. You will still need to complete the EID form, but our tracking form will help in the collect those records on an on-going basis.
 

IMPORTANT CHANGES FOR EQUINE OWNERS

Effective January 31, 2010, equine owners, intending to sell animals directly or indirectly to Canadian meat processors, are being advised to record certain information.

Equine owners who wish to keep their sale options open should record all vaccines, medications given (administered or fed) to their animals and record any occurrence of illness in their animals.

The collection of this information will better prepare the equine industry for July 31, 2010 when it will be mandatory for all federally-inspected equine facilities to have complete records dating back six months for all domestic and imported animals presented for slaughter.

These requirements apply to owners of horses and their crosses, referred to as equine.

In order to help owners collect all of the necessary information, the CFIA is launching a new Equine Information Document (EID) that can be found in the Meat Hygiene Directive no. 2009-49.

The EID is the first step in the development of a comprehensive food safety and traceability program for the Canadian equine industry - for both domestic and international markets.

Anyone selling equine may have to provide an EID at ownership transfer. The document will require an owner-signed declaration to verify the accuracy of the information.

There are a number of medications and substances that are prohibited from being given (administered or fed) to equine intended to be slaughtered for human consumption. A list of these medications and substances can be found on the CFIA web site.

For the latest information about identifying and recording health information for your equine, please visit www.inspection.gc.ca or call 1-800-442-2342.

Equine Niagara News asked several people their thoughts on this new directive and the result was an astonishing conglomerate of answers in regard to why the government would create a process that they have not the means by way of manpower, finances, etc. to provide the enforcement of such a measure. All believed ultimately it will create more harm to the horses waiting to be slaughtered by lengthier quarantine times, etc.

Ellie Ross, a lady well known for rescuing horses destined for slaughter along with her dedication to their well-being commented, "the upcoming EU requirements were set a long time ago. Many people were unaware of this until recent months as the transition date approaches. This will inevitably lead to more horses being raised solely for meat purposes."

Brenda McArthur of Whispering Hearts Horse Rescue's comments echoed Ellie's, "My only concern is this will now create a quarantine period which will cause horses to be stuck in feed lots longer which could cause more neglect.  This is where I feel our authorities that are in place to protect our animals need to step up to the plate and inspect these feed lots more regularly and take action on cruelty infractions."

We tried to reach several auction houses and abattoirs for comment. So far, the General Manager of the Ontario Livestock Exchange did return my call, however we were unable to connect for his actual comments (my fault, not his). ENN will keep trying to get his comments. Ultimately the auction houses do not take ownership of the horse, nor do the auction houses necessarily know who the buyer of the horse is and their intentions for that horse.  It is the seller's obligation to provide the documentation required at the time of sale. That being said, what happens when the horses arrive at the abattoir without the appropriate documentation. Are they accepted and quarantined for six months, or are they turned away? So many questions to be asked. We will follow-up in future issues and try to get the answers to some of these questions.

In the meantime, click here to read Ellie and Brenda's complete comments and see a copy of the EID form required as of July 31st, 2010.

The first Dressage Niagara riding clinic for 2010 is scheduled for Saturday, February 20 with John MacPherson, FEI Competitor, Trainer, Level III Dressage Coach

& M Level Judge.  The location is 3 Gaits Equestrian Centre, 935 Farr Rd, Fenwick.  

John is a multi-year "listed" rider who has represented Canada internationally for more than 25 years, and has twice won the Bronze Medal at the CDI-W Dressage at Devon.  He is one of an elite number of certified Level III Dressage Coaches in Canada and John's students range from grassroots riders to Grand Prix competitors. More...

Liability Insurance: Should you have it?

Definitely! For your own protection as well as others.

This article is worth repeating.

click here for the complete article.
 

Heartland has been renewed for another season and bigger news still - watch for a made-for-TV Heartland movie to air in December of this year.

In The News___________________

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