In Australia, veterinarians are refusing to treat sick horses that have not been vaccinated against the deadly hendra virus, because of workplace health and safety restrictions, and a concern for their safety.
Vets checking horse suspected of having hendra virus
Three Queensland vets are currently being prosecuted by Workplace Health and Safety over how they handled cases of hendra virus in horses and this is creating a major problem for horse owners and veterinarians.
Labor MP Jim Pearce stirred up the issue by stating that vets who refuse to treat horses should still be able to do so, provided they wear the correct protective equipment. The suggestion was met with strong opposition by vets, who argued they feared prosecution under workplace health and safety laws.
The Liberal-National Party's Deb Frecklington says the recent prosecutions of three vets over how they handled cases of Hendra virus shows vets' concerns are legitimate.
"Horse owners are calling on vets to treat unvaccinated horses, and I certainly feel sorry for those horse owners who are put in that situation," she said.
"But because of the recent prosecutions that is why vets are now clamping down more by saying they have to follow the law," she said. "This has been an issue for many years but I think was has brought this to fore is we have seen these prosecutions happen recently. We have been able to follow the process through and see what Workplace Health and Safety are doing to these vets by way of prosecution if they don't comply."
Three Queensland vets are currently being prosecuted by Workplace Health and Safety over how they handled cases of Hendra virus in horses.
Ms Frecklington said the Minister for Industrial Relations, Curtis Pitt, needs to take responsibility for the issue, and is calling on him to convene an urgent roundtable to address the stalemate. "Unfortunately Workplace Health and Safety, under the guise of Mr Pitt's department, has come down extremely strongly and has been prosecuting vets in relation to the Hendra virus
"This isn't just about personal protective equipment (PPE), it is about the ongoing treatment of a horse that is suspected to have the Hendra virus. The buck lies with Mr Pitt who needs to look at the practices from the workplace health and safety point of view, and get everyone together in a room and sort this out.
Ms Frecklington is critical of how the Department of Workplace Health and Safety has pursued the prosecution cases. "I don't know why Workplace Health and Safety have been so dogged in their prosecution of these vets who are doing everything they can to help affected horse owners," she said.
"The cases that Workplace Health and Safety are taking through to prosecution aren't cases that involve the Hendra virus [in humans]. If we are going to be prosecuting vets around trying to get a better outcome for horses with Hendra virus we should at least be targeting ones that are relevant to the Hendra virus.
While one of the cases is known to relate to a horse that was infected with Hendra, the virus did not spread to its owners or treating vet staff. Ms Frecklington is calling for a roundtable comprising of experts to come up with a solution, but did not suggest one of her own.
"I'm certainly no expert in relation to the Hendra virus and the treating of it, I'm not a vet, and I'm not an expert in the workplace health and safety practices of veterinary surgeons," she said. "So that is why this needs to be bought together at the ministerial level, because the concern is coming from workplace health and safety practices.