BOTH Tattersalls and Tattersalls Ireland have advised clients that mares offered at the forthcoming breeding stock sales who have not been vaccinated against equine herpes will be isolated and sold in absentia.

There is a chronic shortage of vaccine at the moment, prompting the Department of Agriculture here to take the very rare step of licensing the importation of medicines not registered here (see Horse Sense, page A50).

Tattersalls Ireland director Neil Walsh said: “We strive to adhere to the best practices possible when selling horses and we believe it would be a retrograde step to modify any regulation that could potentially compromise the pregnancy status of mares in our sale.

“Despite the best efforts of industry bodies we find ourselves in the position whereby the welfare of our broodmare population could be effected by the short supply of vaccination for EHV and we should be mindful of the potential for this situation to arise in the future and do all in our powers to prevent it happening again.

“Our policy is that mares that have not been vaccinated against EHV (with the vaccinations recorded in the passport) will be isolated at Tattersalls Ireland and will be sold in absentia. This will mean that these mares would not be present in the ring whilst they are being auctioned.

“We are asking all vendors to send the vaccination records of their mares to Tattersalls prior to the sale as per below. This is in effect a mirror policy to the one adopted by our parent company for their December Mares Sale. We plan to contact all vendors individually and outline our process.”

ITBA manager Shane O’Dwyer said: “It is totally unacceptable that pharmaceutical companies can hold the industry to ransom over such a serious issue. The ITBA, along with other industry stakeholders, has lobbied our Department of Agriculture who issued a special licence for Zoetis on October 23rd to import up to 12,000 doses of pneumabort k which is scheduled to arrive in the country on November 12th.”

Goffs are holding fire ahead of their Breeding Stock Sale. Chief executive Henry Beeby said: “We are in touch with the Department to see if any special measures have to be taken.”

VACCINES AVAILABLE - SEE HORSE SENSE>>A50