Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association
Posted: Oct. 30, 2017
The National Equine Health Plan, which stemmed from discussions in 2013, is now available as an industry resource, the American Horse Council, American Association of Equine Practitioners, United States Department of Agriculture and state health officials announced Oct. 30.
The goals of the NEHP are to protect the health and welfare of the U.S. equine population, facilitate continued interstate and international movement of horses and their products, ensure the availability of regulatory services, and protect the economic continuity of business in the equine industry.
The NEHP also functions as a roadmap for coordinating horse owners and industry organizations with veterinarians and state and federal animal health officials to prevent, recognize, control and respond to diseases and environmental disasters. The plan facilitates horse industry preparedness, effective rapid communication, and owner education, which make up the foundation for preventing diseases and disease spread.
The National Equine Health Plan is available here.
“The horse industry is unique because horses are transported with more frequency than other livestock,” AHC President Julie Broadway said. “We have seen firsthand how disease outbreaks cost the industry millions of dollars for the care of sick horses, implementation of biosecurity, and lost revenue in the form of cancelled or restricted commercial equine activities such as horse shows.
“Back in 2013, the industry felt it was time to step up and address the issue of the handling of disease outbreaks and the dissemination of information surrounding the outbreaks. This gave way to the creation of the NEHP that will outline the issues surrounding the prevention, diagnosis and control of diseases and the responsibilities and roles of the federal and state authorities and the industry.”
“The Equine Disease Communication Center is a key element of the NEHP and provides critical communication of information during disease outbreaks,” EDCC Director Dr. Nat White said. “Additionally, equinediseasecc.org provides information about diseases, vaccination, biosecurity, state health regulations, state animal health official contact information and links to USDA-APHIS veterinary services. By integrating the roles of regulatory agencies with industry stakeholders, equine health and welfare are improved.”
The NEHP provides immediate access to resources and communications needed to optimize disease mitigation and prevention. It serves as a guide for regulations and responses needed to mitigate and prevent infectious diseases.
The AHC and the AAEP encourage sharing this document as it will help educate horse owners about how veterinarians and state and federal officials work together to decrease the risk of disease spread.
For more information on the initiative, contact Dr. Nat White at edcc@aaep.org or Cliff Williamson, Director of Health and Regulatory Affairs at the AHC at cwilliamson@horsecouncil.org.