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Press Release - for immediate release 26 February 2008
HORSE INDUSTRY FACES DOUBLE BLOW
Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke has read the Horse Disease Response Levy Bill 2008 for the second time in Federal Parliament.
Queensland Horse Council President Julie de Visser says, “Our Members have registered wide spread anger about this bill being retrospective in regard to Equine Influenza.
The levy has been under discussion for many years and was always to be set at zero until a disease outbreak occurred. However, we have had EI before the Bill has been passed and it is now being rushed through the House with unseemly haste and it looks as if it will be made retrospective to cover the EI costs.
This is just not fair to an Industry already struggling to recover from the terrible financial burden of EI during the last six months”.
Queensland Thoroughbred Breeders President Bob Frappell said, “the application of this Bill to the recent EI outbreak highlights many inequities of the Federally funded CHAPS payment scheme. All breeders, not just thoroughbreds, who were ineligible for financial assistance from CHAPS will be the ones required to pay back the costs of EI through horse registrations “.
The Queensland Horse Council is awaiting the result of the Callinan Enquiry due on the 24th April as this should determine who is at fault and who may be legally required to pay for the whole incident. The QHC is maintaining a vigilant, watching brief as the situation unfolds.
The QHC's National affiliate, the Australian Horse Industry Council is applying for a re-categorization of the disease to reflect the real impact that it had on the industry and this would dramatically reduce any cost to the horse industry.
“Currently the industry is required to pay back 80% of the cost of EI and the Federal Government just 20%. The severity of the financial impact that this disease had on our Industry means that it was incorrectly classified originally and needs to have its status upgraded so that the Government pays more and Industry less.
However, the question we all want answered is, why will Industry be paying for a failure of Quarantine? Hopefully Justice Callinan will have some answers for us” said Mrs de Visser.
The Queensland Horse Council will be writing to the Federal Minister to express the concerns of their Members and the Horse Industry in general in Queensland.
Established in 1986, the Queensland Horse Council consistently addresses the needs of the horse industry. The work of the QHC is crucial to representing the voice of all industry members to the Government.
FOR MORE INFORMATION regarding this press release, please contact: QHC President Julie de Visser on 0438 1892 72.
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