Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to minimise the spread of the equine flu.

The Government has been monitoring the situation and maintaining close contact with the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and British Horseracing Authority (BHA) as well as the Equine Disease Coalition.

Equine flu is a contagious disease of horses, donkeys, mules and all equidae. Clinical signs include a raised temperature, cough and nasal discharge, lethargy and loss of appetite. In otherwise healthy horses cases typically resolve within 1-2 weeks. It is not a public health risk. Vaccination is the main control measure, alongside isolation of infected cases and minimising the mixing of horses during an outbreak. Equine flu is not a notifiable disease in the UK, which means that the industry takes responsibility for surveillance, testing and vaccination. The Horserace Betting Levy Board, which is a Government arm’s length body, provides funds to the AHT, which is an internationally approved reference laboratory for equine flu.

Horse owners are urged to contact their private vet if they suspect respiratory illness and to practice good biosecurity and isolate suspected or confirmed cases.