Attendees at the UK’s National Equine Forum yesterday heard about the progress made thus far by a working group focused on African horse sickness (AHS).

Rt Hon Jane Kennedy, MP, the Minister for the Horse wrote the speech presented by Arik Dondi, deputy director of Exotic Diseases Policy at the Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra), as Kennedy was unable to attend.

The AHS Working Group, which was founded and is led by Buckinghamshire charity The Horse Trust, brings together the government, scientists, and the horse industry to work on an action plan for tackling the illness if it reaches Northern Europe.

AHS kills around 90% of infected horses. The disease is largely confined to Africa, but there is risk that the disease could spread to Northern Europe, including Britain