Australia
Quarantine regulations fall under the Department of Agriculture & Water Resources (DAWR).
DAWR is a Federal Ministry which controls the entry and exit of all plant and animals to or from Australia.
Exports From Australia
Quarantine is one of the major bureaucratic hurdles when transporting any animal across international borders.
The quarantine regulations vary from country to country and depending on where your horse’s final destination is, will determine what pre-export quarantine and vaccinations are required.
Equine International Airfreight carefully select premier pre-export quarantine farms (PEQ) located close to the departure airport to complete the segregation and pre-export protocols. Equine International Airfreight staff co-ordinate all the paperwork, veterinary and vaccination requirements whilst liaising with the officers from DAWR to ensure your horse is able to travel.
Once all conditions of the quarantine process have been completed, your horse will travel to the airport of departure by road transport.
At time of export, a DAWR officer will provide Equine International Airfreight with a Export Permit and a Certificate of Health. The export permit gives permission for the horse to leave Australia while the Certificate of Health advises the importing country that the horse complies with the receiving countries health requirements.
Our PEQ services include:
- Farms with experienced staff, suitable facilities, and appropriate locations
- Pre Inspection and approval of these farms by appropriate government authorities
- Grooms to supervise handling, feeding & specialised individual needs
- Availability of a suitable Farrier service
- Equine veterinary practitioner “on call” within close proximity of approved farm
- Clipping if necessary
- Fully trained Equine International Airfreight staff controlling flight coordination, airport operations and logistics
Imports to Australia
All imported horses to Australia are required to complete a compulsory post arrival quarantine period located at the DAWR (Department of Agriculture & Water Resources) facility at Mickleham in Victoria.
Once the horse has arrived in Australia, and customs cleared, it travels by road to the Quarantine Station where it is held until the completion of the quarantine period.
The amount of time your horse/s need to stay in Quarantine varies depending which country the horse has travelled from. During this time we have one of our experienced grooms stay in the quarantine facility to care for your horse 24 hours a day.
There is a support network of vets and DAWR staff who regularly check on your animal and monitor any changes in behaviour, temperature or health issues.
Unfortunately horse owners are not permitted to visit their horses whilst in the DAWR quarantine facility but clients will be provided a number to contact our groom who will be more than happy to keep you updated with the horse’s progress. The DAWR facility is a government controlled isolation facility and strict protocols are in place for authorised access.
Overseas Pre Import Quarentine for Australia
UK/ Europe:
Equine International Airfreight has approved Australian Quarantine facilities in Europe & the UK.
- Germany – Based in Lastrup in the north west region of Germany, this facility has 12 boxes, a horse walker and day yard facilities. This facility is ideally placed to service the needs of horses travelling from Europe back to Australia, with a regular freight service departing either from Amsterdam, Brussels or Franfurt to Sydney.
- UK – Based in Newmarket, ‘Blackhorse Farm’ has been recently approved by the Australian Government as our Quarantine facility. It is spread over 60 acres of pastured land with modern stabling, safe fencing, turn out paddocks, horse walker, lunging ring, outdoor dressage arena, veterinary facilities and isolation stables.
New Zealand:
Trans Tasman shipping of horses is simple and does not require quarantine facilities. As long as the horses have a valid health certificate, they are free to travel between Australia and New Zealand and visa versa. Your horse can travel immediately to its destination once it has been quarantine health checked and custom cleared at the arrival airport.