Deadly equine virus threatening to devastate the horse industry

A virulent outbreak of equine herpes in Spain has forced European equestrian events to be cancelled across Europe. The International Federation for Equestrian Sport has a ban in place because of the virus, affecting upcoming events in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Poland, Netherlands, Germany and Slovakia.

The federation’s general secretary, Sabrina Ibáñez, said an unspecified number of horses have already died from the outbreak.

‘CAUSE OF GREAT CONCERN’

Speaking last Thursday, Senator Victor Boyhan, a member of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, called on the Minister of Agriculture to request Ireland’s Chief Veterinary Officer to make a comprehensive statement as to what measures have been put in place to curtail contagion of the virus spreading across Ireland.

Senator Boyhan told his parliamentary colleagues, “The Irish horse industry was exposed, given the movement of horses from Spain to Ireland in recent days, a virus doesn’t know the difference from a thoroughbred racehorse, sports horse or a mule, the virus should be a notifiable disease and must be closely monitor across the island of Ireland.”

“The EHV-1 contagion virus is out there and cause of great concern to the equestrian industry. Senator Victor Boyhan. The equine industry has been hit badly by Covid-19 and a serious outbreak of the EHV-1 virus in Ireland would devastate the horse industry.”

He concluded, by saying: “The movement of horses across Europe and into Ireland must be monitored very carefully for the next few months. I am calling for regular information bulletin to be issued by the Chief Veterinary officer to all stakeholders in the industry.”