Horses and People Magazine
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northern New South Wales
| Horse Disease Response Levy Bills |
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| Written by Aust. Horse Industry Council | |
| Wednesday, 03 September 2008 | |
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The Bills to enable the horse industry to become a signatory to the Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement (EADRA) are currently before Federal Parliament. Without the protection under EADRA, there is no guarantee of government assistance to the horse industry to respond to an emergency disease incursion. You can read the debates, which are recorded in Hansard at: www.aph.gov.au/hansard/hansreps.htm Click on the date of the debate that you want to read. The speeches from parliamentarians began on Monday 1 September 2008. AHIC welcomes the current debate on the Bills proposal. The Bills have passed through the House of Representatives this afternoon and will now go for further examination and debate in the Senate later this month. Potentially, there remains a long way to go. The federal opposition has stated that it intends to send the Bills to a review committee in the Senate. If this happens, it will provide a further opportunity for industry consultation on the merits of the current proposal. It might also further delay protection of the horse industry should there be an emergency disease outbreak while this examination process is underway. AHIC hopes that any such senate review process would be completed expeditiously. The current parliamentary debate is the latest step in the attempts by the horse industry to become a signatory to EADRA. All other livestock industries signed up to EADRA in 2002. The entire process of consultation and implementation of EADRA has taken about 10 years. We hope that the national horse industry will also soon have similar protection to the other livestock industries. |
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