Movement of horses resumes between US and UK after EIA cases

Restrictions on the travel of horses from the UK to the US have been lifted this morning.

Following the discovery of swamp fever (equine infectious anaemia or EIA) in two horses in Wiltshire, the US was one of 13 countries around the world that automatically stopped accepting equine exports from the UK.

But after talks between animal health authorities in the UK and America, movement of equines between the two countries has resumed.

“We have worked with the authorities in the USA to ensure that exports to the USA can take place, so long as EIA was not identified on the premises of origin, nor on any adjoining premises, during the 60 days preceding export of the horse to the US,” says a statement on the Defra website.

“Urgent exports to the US have proceeded with manual amendments [to export certificates].”

The swamp fever cases in Wiltshire still prevent the export of UK horses to: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Grenada, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Phillippines, Singapore, Thailand and Tunisia.

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