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April 2000 Equine Placement Network, Inc. equineprotectionnetwork.com |
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On January 17, 2000 a horse in Wayne County PA tested positive to EIA. This horse had previously tested negative in October and November 1999.
This horse became positive AFTER November 1999. This horse is from one of the two camp horse herds where EIA was discovered last year.
The PA Department of Agriculture assured people that the "killing frosts" would prevent further spread of EIA.
On March 4, 2000 a horse was sold through the Front Royal, VA sale. Blood was drawn for a Coggins Test at the sale. The horse was then transported to Fayette County, PA in violation of PA law. PA law requires a negative Coggins Test for horses imported into the Commonwealth. NO PENDING TESTS are allowed. The test results came back POSITIVE.
Unconfirmed reports trace this horse back to a PA horse dealer connected with the 1999 EIA outbreak. Unconfirmed reports also suggest other horses connected with this horse are also positive.
PA's number one industry is agriculture. The horse industry ranks second only to the dairy industry in PA's number one industry. The horse industry, except for horse racing, which only received the exemption in 1996, unlike the dairy, beef, sheep, hog or poultry industries, pays state sales on feed, and associated products. In other words, the horse industry puts a lot of tax revenue into PA State coffers. Yet the PDA states that they,
"do not have the manpower or the money"to have PA Department of Ag inspectors at weekly or monthly horse auctions to inspect for the required health certificates or Coggins Tests. It is the PA Dept. of Ag's job to protect animal health. Why are they not doing it at PA horse auctions?
29 horses positive in one year has not motivated the PA Dept. of Ag to be at horse auctions doing their job. The revenue from the fines imposed on people who do not have the required paperwork would more than pay for an inspector to be at these horse auctions. Has the PDA ever issued a citation to anyone for bringing a horse into the Commonwealth without a Coggins Test or Health Certificate as required by PA law?
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