National Equine Health Plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the AHC conducted a workshop during the 2010 AHC’s National Issues Forum to discuss how USDA, state authorities, and the industry could best address, respond to, and control emerging and infectious equine diseases in the U.S. The goal of implementing a proactive and coordinated approach to disease outbreaks is to mitigate the health, welfare, and economic implications infectious diseases have on U.S. horses and the industry as a whole.
Prior to the 2011 AHC June meeting, a pre-planning committee, consisting of USDA, AHC, and state animal health officials, drafted what is now called the National Equine Health Plan (NEHP) to follow-up on the recommendations from the June workshop.
Following the 2011 AHC National Issues Forum, meeting, Dr. Nat White, who is one of the industry representatives for the NEHP, AAEP initiate a task force to start working on the communication module and biosecurity aspects under the NEHP. The communication system will involve defining specific roles, threats, and responses to a variety of infectious disease outbreaks.
The Task Force meeting was held during the AAEP Convention in November 2011. The Task Force will try to incorporate the successes and lessons-learned from the EHV-1 response and will submit its final product to the Health & Regulatory Committee for further input and review. The Task Force is currently targeting the 2012 AHC June meeting for completion of the education, communication, and outreach priority areas identified for initial development.
Overview of the Plan
The NEHP will help educate the industry about the broad hazards of equine diseases, how to prepare for outbreaks and efficiently respond to an outbreak. In the long run, the benefits of this effort are less about a specific disease and more about establishing a pro-active process to address, respond to, and mitigate disease implications in order to protect the welfare of U.S horses and the economic viability of the industry.
The NEHP will create a roadmap for individuals, associations, events and authorities to work together to enhance industry outreach and education in order to explain the importance and hazards of a disease outbreak.
Sustained education across the industry is imperative to laying a foundation for implementing any industry-supported and effective biosecurity plan that will allow events to prepare for, and respond to, equine disease outbreaks in conjunction with federal and state authorities.
AHC Position
The AHC supports the continued development and collaboration between state, federal, and industry representatives in implementing the NEHP. The AHC believes the NEHP is essential to protecting the health and welfare of the U.S. horse population and the economic viability of the horse industry.