Ban lifted after 13 years; horses can be directly exported again from South Africa

Published 2024년 3월 26일

Tridge summary

Since 2011, South Africa faced a ban on direct horse exports to the European Union (EU) due to an outbreak of African horse sickness. Efforts by the South African Equine Health and Protocol (SAEHP), established in 2018 with support from entities like the Hong Kong Jockey Club, alongside the South African government, have been pivotal in addressing the EU's concerns. These concerted efforts, despite delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, led to a positive audit by the EU in October 2022, paving the way for the lifting of the ban. This development is a significant victory for the South African horse industry, showcasing the power of collaboration between the private and public sectors to overcome substantial obstacles.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

After an outbreak of the dreaded African horse sickness in 2011, all direct exports of horses from Cape Town to the European Union (EU) were banned. Since then, the South African Equine Health and Protocol (SAEHP) and the South African government have been working tirelessly to lift this ban. Since the ban was announced, it has been a challenging and difficult process to export horses to Europe again. Horses had to undergo month-long quarantine periods of two to four months, which restricted their exercise and movement, before they could embark on the final leg to their final destination. Mauritius became the logical and most economical route where horses had to stay for 90 days before continuing the journey to Europe. A long-awaited audit Adrian Todd, managing director of the SAEHP, says that although it was a long and difficult process, they never lost hope. The outbreak of COVID also complicated the process of finding a suitable date on which the EU could conduct its audit of ...

Source: Agriorbit