Horses discharged from hospital despite swamp fever fears

THE Department of Agriculture has confirmed it allowed the discharge of horses from Troytown Equine Hospital last year even though it knew swamp fever was present in the Kildare facility.

The action came to light after the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) last week demanded compensation for four breeders, whose horses were among those returned by the department to nine premises after the outbreak was detected.

The breeders say they incurred financial loss when the department imposed movement restrictions on their premises, after releasing the horses from Troytown, in a bid to contain the swamp fever, known scientifically as equine infectious disease (EIA).

Troytown found itself at the centre of the outbreak after a horse with the disease was unwittingly admitted in June. It was forced to close for a month.

In total, the department imposed restrictions on 53 premises, the standard period being 90 days, with 10 premises still subject to controls.

In a statement, a department spokesman said the decision to release horses from the highly-respected equine hospital was taken as its vets were confident the animals could not have contracted swamp fever while there.

“The Department of Agriculture’s decision not to restrict Troytown at the time that the initial cases of EIA were confirmed in June, was based on ... the known scientific data on the spread/transmission of EIA available at that time,” the spokesman said.

It was widely believed swamp fever could only be spread through blood-sucking insects and contaminated instruments and the department vets considered that these could be ruled out.

However, there is now a suspicion transmission may have been airborne at Troytown — something considered rare, if impossible — as the mare that brought the disease into the hospital was bleeding heavily from her nose.

Crucially, the department claims the “discharge of horses from the hospital at that time played no role in adding to the numbers of confirmed cases of EIA.”

The department spokesman rejected outright that it had made a mistake in discharging horses from Troytown with the knowledge swamp fever was present. He also reiterated that the four breeders would not be given compensation for the restriction of their premises, nor, for their horses, which were among 28 who died or were put down as a result of the disease.

Troytown’s owners have urged the payment of compensation to the breeders and they claim that, like the four breeders, they are “innocent victims.”

Swamp fever is an untreatable disease and once a horse contracts the virus, it remain infectious for life. The emergence of the disease was a cause for serious concern due to the damage it posed to the country’s multi-million euro horse industry.

It is now felt that the disease has been contained with the department receiving praise for its handling of the situation.