SA-bred Soft Falling Rain wins the 2013 renewal of the Gr 3 Nayef Joel Stakes at Newmarket (Picture: Charlie Crowhurst)
The direct equine flights to the UK are now a reality, as announced by SA Equine Health & Protocols NPC (SAEHP) on Wednesday this week, and this has potentially opened up the opportunity for South African thoroughbreds to race in other countries.
After a residency period in the Free Zone in Cape Town a horse will be required to spend just 14 days of lockdown in the Cape Town quarantine station before departing for the UK.
Upon arrival in the UK there are no further quarantine requirements, so a horse can go straight from the airport to a training centre.
Whilst 14 days in lockdown quarantine would not be ideal for a horse in training who has a pending race, there is no biosecurity reason why a treadmill can’t be installed in the quarantine station in Cape Town.
Charters are a numbers game (i.e. there must be enough horses to make the chartered flight cost effective) and the reality of direct flights to the UK is likely to boost trading logistics.
The announcement on Wednesday followed closely on South Africa’s opening of equine imports from Dubai, New Zealand, and Australia earlier this year.
Genuine two-way trade is now a reality for the South African equine industry.
Direct exports to Dubai, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia are still not permitted, but direct flights to Britain and the EU makes raiding the UK, France, and Ireland a possibility.
Following the conclusion of successful negotiations with the UK, let’s hope that Dubai and Hong Kong will be the next countries to accept our horses directly from Cape Town.
