IFHA News No.1 (2010)
To: IFHA/FIAH Members
From: Aki AKITANI
Date: March 9, 2010
REF: Artificial Insemination court case in Australia
The IFHA Secretariat Office believes this case could have potentially enormous effects on the international racing industry as a whole, and will continue to follow and report on any developments.
Mr. Bruce McHugh, who has extensive breeding interests, has brought a case of Artificial Insemination (AI) to the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney. He claims that the AI ban is in breach of the Trade Practices Act and threatens competition in the markets of breeding, selling and racing.
Respondents to the application are:
- The Australian Jockey Club and the Victoria Racing Club in relation to the Australian Stub Book (ASB) which includes ‘Non Eligibility Resulting From Artificial Breeding’.
- The Australian Racing Board with reference to the Australian Rules of Racing which only permits horses in the ASB to race.
- Racing Information Services Australia PTY Limited as the Registrar of Racehorses that refuses to register AI-bred horses.
All respondents are currently filing their defense.
Mr. Peter McGauran, former Federal Agriculture Minister demonstrated his concern by saying that “Every major breeding country and racing, for that matter, around the world, to which Australia exports more than 2500 horses for in excess of $100 million, will exclude from those markets any horse that is conceived by way of artificial insemination and possibly even those conceived by way of natural serve.”
The Thoroughbred Breeders Association in Australia also issued a media release in January, quoting research using the Australian Standardbred industry as a model.
The research showed that with the use of AI:
- live foal rate diminished
- gene pool significantly narrowed
The International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering clearly states in Article 12 that “Any foal resulting from or produced by the processes of Artificial Insemination…….., shall not be eligible for recording in a Thoroughbred Stud Book approved by the International Stud Book Committee.”
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Contact :
Mr. Aki AKITANI
Deputy Secretary General
International Federation of Horseracing Authorities
46, Place Abel Gance 92100 Boulogne, France
Tel + 33 1 49 10 22 61 ; Fax + 33 1 47 61 93 32
E-mail : akitani@netntt.fr
Web www.ifhaonline.org | 
