Proposals have been drawn up to make transportation of equine competitors, both in and out of the UAE, much easier, following a conference in Dubai this week.
The World Organisation for Animal Health held a regional conference for more than 19 Middle East and North Africa representatives at the Meydan hotel, which was opened on Monday by Dr Rashid Ahmed, the Minister of Environment and Water in the UAE.
International Equestrian Federation delegates and those from National Racing Authorities, including the UAE, were also present. The conference acknowledged that the temporary exportation and importation of horses can pose problems for certain country’s veterinary certification regulatory frameworks.
South African trainers, such as Mike de Kock for instance, cannot export horses to the UAE directly but have to use Mauritius and then England for quarantine purposes.
The ban also has had an effect on the import and export of endurance horses, as well as other horses, such as show jumpers who are set to compete in the UAE. The Dubai Racing Club successfully circumnavigated quarantine issues earlier this year when backing a race day in China.
After much delay, the meeting was held at Jinma Racecourse in Chengdu in April, and was the first race meeting held on mainland China to feature international horses who had gone through import and export quarantine.
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