New Zealand has been found to be clear of equine influenza after blood tests taken from horses recently arrived from Australia proved negative, Biosecurity New Zealand (BNZ) said Tuesday.

BNZ carried out tests on all horses which had arrived in New Zealand from Australia since Aug. 1, giving priority to horses which had landed in the last 10 days when the highly contagious disease had spread widely through New South Wales and Queensland states.

Horses which had been in contact with imported animals had also tested negative, biosecurity director Peter Thomson said.

“There is currently no evidence of equine influenza in New Zealand. All imported horses have been visited by a veterinarian and examined as part of the blood sampling process. No clinical signs of equine influenza have been found and test results have confirmed no disease is present