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PRESIDENT'S
REPORT: May 2008
Hello members, I would especially like to welcome
our many new members to the ACA, it really underpins the
fact that campdrafting is a great and popular sport as is
one of the few horse sports with increasing numbers of new
members in the hangover of EI. I would also like to thank
our Major Sponsors and committed members especially for having
faith during and after EI and participating in and supporting
a great rural sport which in turn is an integral part of
the social and economic circle.
The National Finals at Capella were a resounding success,
the Capella committee can be very proud of their hard work,
organization and efforts leading up to and during the event.
Everyone was very appreciative of the no stress factor to
the weekend which was entirely due to precision planning
and organization with the help of resources from neighbouring
committees as well. A big thank you to the event sponsors
and cattle donors without their generosity we don’t
have a sport at all. The consistent number of high scoring
runs was a reflection of the good cattle and was the basis
for a great weekend even though we all couldn’t take
the ribbons home, everyone though had an even chance at the
money. Major Sponsors Terry Donohue, Just Country and Ross
Dolan, Dolan Enterprises set out from Brisbane in Terry’s
plane for Capella but unfortunately had to return due to
engine trouble, after some tense moments they were able to
return safely.
Congratulations to all the ACA Champions and placegetters,
the championship positions are hotly contested each year
and many people go to enormous efforts to prepare their horses
and commit to travel in an endeavour to achieve their goals.
It is wonderful to see this desire which adds another dimension
to the sport. This year quite a number of the Championship
titles and placings were decided at the National Finals,
this of course is what the Finals are about and the spirit
of the Finals is continued. It is great to see new faces
in the Championship line-ups.
We have received a terrific response to our invitation to
ABCRA judges who wish to duplicate their judging entitlement
to the ACA judges’ panel. Thank you to all those people
who have responded and taken the opportunity to help alleviate
pressure on fellow judges and committees.
On a slightly negative note some competitors need to be reminded
of their unacceptable actions, unfortunately some think they
have the right to manipulate committees for their own convenience
and on occasion there are a small minority who become abusive
towards secretaries when they miss out on nominating for
a campdraft or have issue with a committee. Some committees
have lost these special volunteers who are already under
a lot of stress and pressure. Doubling up on nominations
at different venues with the intention of only attending
one venue is creeping in as well then scratching at the last
minute or not at all is very frustrating for committees.
These inconsiderate people should note that there are a lot
more competitors than secretaries and we need the secretaries
first and foremost. If these same people have ever been on
a committee they will quickly realise that very few people
are willing to put their hand up for these positions of hard
work and they don’t need the added pressure of having
to put up with ill mannered people. I would encourage anyone
who isn’t on a committee who continually has problems
with how committees function to become involved, usually
committees are a small group of people struggling to organize
and run an event and would welcome help at any time.
Please read carefully - Again I would like to alert and update
members to the most important issue confronting the Horse
Industry as a whole and therefore our association and members
who are everyday Australian Mum and Dad horse owners. That
is the Federal Ministers’ (minister for DPI, Tony Burke)
push to have the Horse Industry sign the Emergency Animal
Disease Response Agreement (EADRA) which in its present form
and in simple terms means they are wanting all horse owners
to sign up for a levy (tax) which we will have little or
no control over. However it doesn’t stop there, micro
chipping of all horses in Australia is the mechanism which
they want to employ as a means to monitor the collection
of the tax. This concept is still being promoted as a good
idea by some sectors of the horse industry.
The EADRA is a concept of protection or insurance for horse
owners should an exotic disease come to Australia again.
If the horse industry were to sign then the government undertakes
to combat the disease on behalf of the horse industry however
the cost recovery system when the costs blow out as happened
with EI which we have no control of the amount charged in
a levy situation. It has been suggested that if the horse
industry is to repay the costs of EI, the levy to horse owners
would be in the vicinity of $100 plus per registered horse
paid once only that is registered with any equine organisation.
What people who are making these decisions have difficulty
understanding is the sting is in the tail of this concept
because it needs a mechanism to collect a levy which the
AHIC and associated parties are not exposing, is electronic
identification of all horses in Australia. The AHIC and associated
parties who are promoting EADRA are quite prepared to have
every horse owner undertake the expense of micro chipping
all their horses at a major cost for a ‘what if situation’,
what if there is another disease outbreak. How much have
cattle producers spent on NLIS tags since it was introduced,
I encourage every cattle producer to do the sum? The cost
per horse to have it micro chipped will be considerable especially
since a veterinarian has to administer the chip.
The point that these learned people are missing is rather
than trying to fix a problem after it has escaped at the
farm gate it should be the front door of Australia they should
be concentrating their efforts of disease prevention towards,
AQIS.
I have recently attended an Industry Advisory Committee (IAC)
meeting on behalf of the ACA in Sydney on the 13th of May
which is a committee comprised of State Horse Council representatives,
Breed Society’s, Sporting Associations, and Corporate
members that makes recommendations to the Australian Horse
Industry Council (AHIC) board that is recognized by government
as peak body representing horse owners. The main role of
the IAC is to provide input to the AHIC about any matters
of national importance that affect the horse industry. In
the previous magazine I have outlined and exposed issues
of grave concern that arose that would impact on all horse
owners in Australia from the previous IAC meeting that Harvey
Walters and I attended at Sydney in February.
The most recent meeting was conducted in a much more acceptable
manner and now members of the IAC are starting to realise
the extent and consequences of their proposals in regard
to the signing of EADRA which includes an attached levy plus
a mechanism to collect it which incorporates a concept of
micro chipping of all horses in Australia.
The position the ACA has taken since early this year on these
issues is
NO to the signing of EADRA,
NO to levies on horse owners and,
NO to compulsory micro chipping of all horses in Australia,
At the IAC meeting members were able to vote (problems with
this were exposed and explained in the last ACA magazine)
and the majority of members are now in favour of the position
the ACA has taken on the above issues. Just to remind people
of the costs we are talking about is EI cost over $100 million
to eradicate not counting CHAPS payments plus other funding
the government handed out. This equates to $1250 per infected
horse, without a doubt the levy system will quickly get out
of hand in order to recoup such costs and there is no guarantee
the levy wouldn’t be triggered before a disease incursion
in order to build a fund for the future. This thought has
been proven to be correct by Federal Minister Tony Burke
who introduced then withdrew 3 levy collection bills to parliament
long before the Callinan Enquiry findings were handed down.
I make no apology for alerting ACA members to the potential
dangers we face with current proposals from the Federal
Minister as they stand. There is very little public knowledge
on what
the implications are and what is actually involved if the
Horse Industry is to sign EADRA in its present form. A
levy collection mechanism can only mean regulation though
electronic
identification of horses. The ACA is not against the concept
of protecting the Horse Industry from the costs of future
disease incursions however the structure of the current
EADRA and proposed levy collection mechanism upon individual
horse
owners is unacceptable. The AHIC website www.horsecouncil.org.au
is available for people to see the rhetoric that is being
pedalled by Government, Animal Health Aust etc via the
AHIC.
The bi-annual Major Sponsors Dinner will be held in Brisbane
at Brisbane Exhibition time, Robyn has the details included
elsewhere. Members are welcome and encouraged to attend
and the timing is intended for convenience for those
who may
also be attending the Ekka. The dinner is to honour and
acknowledge the Major Sponsors contribution to the ACA
at a formal function.
Happy Campdrafting,
Noel Chiconi
ACA President.
PRESIDENT'S
REPORT:
May
2008
April 2008
September
2007
August
2007
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