30/05/2012

(2012, May 30th)

Italian Horse Protection has just petitioned the authorities so that they will punish the persons responsible of the crimes committed – among the other things – with the illegitimate sanitary sequestration of the mare named Rocket, declared positive to Equine Infectious Anaemia, despite the fact the reference test had given a negative result.

Many will remember Rocket, the mare under sanitary sequestration since 7th August 2010, obliged to live in conditions incompatible with the equines’ ethologic nature, because, despite two negative Coggins’ tests (the only reference test in the world, Italy included, for the Equine Infectious Anaemia), she was submitted to an unauthorized test (for which the competent laboratory wasn’t certified, and for which don’t exist in Europe specific antibodies useful for the evaluation of the results), which gave a positive result.

IHP has been working since summer 2010 to help to resolve this situation in a good manner, thinking it was due only to a mistake of the laboratory. A serious mistake for sure, especially for EIA National Reference Centre, but a remediable one: they just needed to admit it and release the mare. Instead we hit against a wall, of which we couldn’t understand the reasons, unless we considered the personal pride of the official that had ordered the test and subsequent sequestration.

However, thanks to an inquiry published last April by the newspaper “La Repubblica” we became aware of a reality that could far be different from what we were expecting.

This is the account given to “La Repubblica” by the owner of a female mule (Marisa), she too declared EIA positive by the same unofficial test and by the same laboratory involved in Rocket’s case: “I bought Marisa and other mules in Abruzzo, in 2006, negative (to EIA). At home, one and half years later, she was found positive. My cousin and I had to slaughter ten animals, beautiful and healthy, paid 4000 euros each, when the slaughterhouse gives only 100 euros each. For two positive female mules (Marisa and Monica), I was contacted by Dr. Autorino [Director of the EIA National Reference Centre] through Arsoli local health autorities. He offered 300 euros for each mule if I gave them for experimentation. I accepted.” As far as the journalist leading the inquiry knows, it was a project financed by the Health Ministry, which involved 11 mules.

According to what Dr. Autorino reported to the same journalist, after the experimentation was completed, the mules were slaughtered, in defiance, among the other things, of the current legislation about the animals destined to experimentation.

Hence IHP’s decision to petition the magistrates.

Link to Rocket’s story
Link to Parliament’s Point of Order dated May 8th, 2012
Link to “La Repubblica” article