Racing: Japanese horses will be back for Melbourne Cup

Japanese participation in the 150th Melbourne Cup is now almost certain as horses from Japan will soon be able to be imported to Australia, subject to stringent biosecurity measures, for the first time since the 2007 equine influenza (EI) outbreak.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke welcomed the decision made by Biosecurity Australia which followed the completion of an Import Risk Analysis (IRA).

"We will never know the full cost to the Australian economy following the EI outbreak, which was estimated at $1 billion," he said this week.

"The measures set out in the new IRA are consistent with Australia's stringent science-based biosecurity rules."

The IRA, which forms part of the Government's response to the Callinan Commission of Inquiry into the EI outbreak, recommends that Australia continue to allow imports of horses from approved countries, subject to stringent conditions.

The decision effectively means that horse imports from Japan, which were suspended after the EI outbreak in Australia, will be able to resume soon should they meet the biosecurity requirements.

If that is the case, Japanese horses will be able to compete again at the Melbourne spring carnival.

With the assistance of a panel of experts, the IRA assessed more than 40 pests and diseases and recommended biosecurity measures for 24 of them, including EI.

All recommendations from the Callinan Inquiry are progressing as scheduled, with 33 recommendations implemented as of this month.

Japanese horses have not run in Australia since Delta Blues won the 2006 Cup beating stablemate Pop Rock.

- AAP