Sydney’s Eastern Creek quarantine station has been cleared of a suspected equine influenza outbreak.

A horse believed to have been imported from the UK returned both negative and positive results to EI on Wednesday.

Further tests on the import and samples from 73 other horses currently in quarantine at Eastern Creek were taken on Thursday.

Federal Agricultural Minister Tony Burke said the results received today from the testing laboratory at Geelong in Victoria had cleared all 74 horses of EI.

Samples from all 74 horses were also analysed at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute at Camden in NSW and also tested negative.

Burke said he was still waiting the results from a second set of samples results from the Geelong facility to ensure all horses are clear of infection.

“Until we get every test back negative I’m certainly not going to relax on it,” he said.

The racinf industry has been on alert since Wdnesday fearing a repeat of the devastation caused last year when the EI virus escaped from Eastern Creek and infected the general horse populations of NSW and Queensland.

The racing industry was shut down in both states for three months, unprecedented restrictions on horse movement were imposed and the horse breeding industry was severely curtailed.
(Source: Racing & Sports)