Mares' Health At Risk As Semen Rule Broken

Vets speak out, while others claim the current system needs reviewing

- Lucy Elder

PRESSURE is being put on vets to use imported semen without the required documents, the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) has warned.

Calls have also been made for a better system, while the association is concerned its members are being put in difficult situations where they are asked to inseminate mares with semen that has arrived without original health certificates.

This puts mares and the UK herd at risk, and threatens vets’ personal and professional reputation, BEVA has warned.

BEVA senior vice president Mark Bowen stressed this puts mares under “direct threat from notifiable and incurable disease”.

“This seems particularly cavalier given the recent outbreaks of EIA [equine infectious anemia] across Europe,” he said.

EIA, or swamp fever, is a viral disease with no cure or vaccine, which attacks the horse’s immune system. It is not currently present in the UK but can be passed through bodily fluids.

Malcolm Morley, partner at Stable Close Equine Practice, was placed in a difficult position when semen arrived without the requisite documentation.

The importer told the client Mr Morley was being “pedantic” and that they should find someone else to inseminate the mare.