Source: Andrew Stevenson, Sydney Morning Herald
LISA Randle is a long way down the thoroughbred food chain from Arrowfield Stud’s John Messara and the Magniers, owners of Coolmore.
But she shares their pain as the equine influenza outbreak wreaks havoc on the thoroughbred studs of the Hunter Valley.
Randle, owner of Pine Lodge Thoroughbreds, breeds only a couple of broodmares a season but has a thriving business – or had – hiring out foster mares to wet nurse the offspring of some of the industry’s finest breeders.
Global racing and breeding operations often wish to send broodmares offshore for the next season and use Randle’s horses to raise the foals born here.
Except this year they can’t.
Normally, 70 mares are sent out but with the ban on horse movements still in place only one mare – an exception, allowed to go to an orphaned foal – has left Pine Lodge this season.
"We’re basically shut down," Randle said. "We’re sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place. Our foster mares are here foaling, but we can’t get them out, and we have really no other form of income at this point in time.
"We’ve been applying for permits basically since the day of the lockdown, and we’ve had requests for 20 mares in that time."
Source: ABC Online
Hunter Tourism says more than 20,000 people travelled to the Hunter Valley region for the APEC long weekend.
Sydneysiders trying to avoid the city’s APEC lock-down spent more than $3 million over the three days, with cafes, restaurants and cellar doors experiencing one of their busiest weekends of the year.
Hunter Tourism chief executive officer Andrew Fletcher says tourism operators across the region experienced record bookings.
"It was a boom weekend and the pleasing thing is that it wasn’t just the Hunter Valley … but right across the Hunter from Lake Macquarie through to Barrington Tops and into the Upper Hunter," he said.
"It was very hard to find a bed on Friday and Saturday nights just gone."
Source: AAP, Sydney Morning Herald
Emirates Park is the latest Hunter Valley stud to be hit by the equine influenza (EI) outbreak.
Darley Australia confirmed earlier it had three yearlings test positive to EI despite implementing strict biosecurity protocols and restricting the movement of people and horses since August 26.
Emirates Park, owned by the Dubai-based His Excellency Nassar Lootah, confirmed two horses at its Murrurundi property had the highly contagious virus.
Both studs said it was clear the current system of containment was not working.
Source: Andrew Eddy, The Age
AUSTRALIA’S $3 billion thoroughbred breeding industry was officially in crisis last night with confirmation yesterday that leading Hunter Valley broodmare farm Segenhoe Stud had three cases of equine influenza.
John Messara, chairman of the Thoroughbred Breeders Association, said yesterday the outbreak at two properties in the Hunter Valley was potentially lethal for an industry already on its knees.
"We worked out today that if none of the walk-in mares are able to be served in NSW this season, that would be just under $1 billion worth of horses that will not be born and not be sold," a deflated Messara said. "It’s hard to see how we would ever recover. If this gets into our foals, it could get even worse as there is a reported mortality rate of up to 40 per cent for infected foals. The effects could be felt for years as our stocks could be depleted in numbers and quality to the point that the (racing) carnivals will not be worth having."
Source: Hunter Valley Wine Country Tourism Inc
Tuscany Wine Estate Resort; Pokolbin became a multi award winning hotel at the highly prestigious Hunter Regional Tourism Awards held at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley Thursday 2nd August 2007. Under the direction of long time Hunter Tourism operator Bill Gregson, Tuscany Wine State Resort; a first time entrant in possibly the most competitive category of the awards night, won the Deluxe Accommodation Award, competing with 6 other hotel finalists, including the Crowne Plaza Newcastle and Hunter Valley Gardens.
Bill, who came to Newcastle in the early 80’s, with the then Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation to open the Parkroyal (now Travelodge) with his wife Christine ( from HMRI & Marketown Shopping Centre fame) own Tuscany, with business partners Mark & Lorraine Edmunds from Nelson Bay. Bill’s Tourism background was further enhanced as the General Manager of the Hunter & Lower North Coast Tourist Authority in the late 80’s (forerunner to today’s HRTO). Then as General Manager of Renak; which developed, owned and operated the Queens Wharf Brewery up until 1994.
Source: abc.net.au
Authorities in New South Wales are urgently trying to contact the connections of up to 200 horses involved in a riding club meeting in the Hunter Valley, over fears the animals have been exposed to equine flu.
Earlier (Sunday) Federal Agriculture Minister Peter McGauran confirmed that a new case of the disease had been detected in rural New South Wales, taking the overall number of confirmed cases to 12.
The other 11 cases are all in horses stabled at Centennial Park in Sydney.
New South Wales Primary Industry Minister Ian MacDonald says owners of horses which took part in the meeting at Carol’s Ranch Riding Club in Maitland last weekend need to take urgent action.
"Horses that have tested as positive outside of Centennial Park attended that event," he said.
"We really need to locate every horse owner from around the state and elsewhere that attended that event so that we can test them as quick as possible."
Source: ABC Online
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has defended its delay in releasing details of an incident where two fighter jets accidentally targeted a car with their lasers north of Newcastle in New South Wales.
The RAAF admits it is possible people may have been injured in the incident, which happened on May 28.
Two F/A-18 Hornet jets from the Williamtown base were flying at 20,000 feet when their weapons guidance lasers accidentally locked on to a car at the intersection of The Lakes Way and Seal Rocks Road near Forster.
Source: ABC Online
The June long-weekend floods in New South Wales have taken a significant toll on Coal and Allied’s bottom line.
The Hunter mining giant’s after-tax half-yearly profit for 2007 is down more than 50 per cent.
Prior to the storm, Newcastle’s lengthy coal ship queue was dropping and the introduction of a quota system at the Port of Newcastle had also eased loading delays.
That changed in early June when wild weather lashed the region, forcing ships out to sea and the closure of the Port and Hunter Valley freight rail network .
Coal and Allied blames the storms for its half-yearly after-tax profit of $70 million compared to almost $150 million in 2006.
In the last six months production at its Hunter mines was down by 22 per cent, despite record prices for thermal coal.
Increased demurrage costs and the strengthening Australian dollar have also been blamed for the result.
Source: ABC Online
Two of the Hunter’s largest open cut coal mines could soon get bigger, with their owners looking to cash in on the continuing mining boom.
Demand for coal is not slowing down, with more than 60 coal ships still anchored off the Newcastle coast in the New South Wales Hunter region.
Coal and Allied is now seeking State Government approval for its $21 million Wantana extension project at its Bengalla mine near Muswellbrook.
It involves the construction of minor infrastructure and will create 120 new full-time jobs.
The mine is within one kilometre of the Hunter River and an environmental impact assessment for the project outlines plans for a barrier between it and the river.
Meanwhile, BHP Billiton is looking to extend its southern pit at its Mount Arthur open cut mine by about two kilometres.
The extension will produce an additional three million tonnes of coal per year.
Source: Anthony Scully, ABC Online
Newcastle City Council has awarded 1233 ABC Newcastle the City of Newcastle Medal for distinguished community service, six weeks after the storms and flooding that devastated parts of the Hunter Valley.
At a ceremony last night at Newcastle City Hall, the Lord Mayor John Tate praised 1233 for maintaining emergency broadcast mode for four days, describing it as "a lifeline and a comfort to people throughout the Hunter Region".
this prestigious award belongs to the whole community of Newcastle and the Hunter for supporting and nurturing one another in a time of great need
"The efforts of all staff at 1233 went well beyond normal duties and demonstrated genuine care and support for the Hunter community as a public broadcaster," Mr Tate said.
"The City of Newcastle Medal is awarded to individuals, organisations or groups for distinguished service of a high degree to Newcastle, and its citizens as a whole and the staff at ABC certainly meet this criteria."
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