Since the news broke in January that horse DNA had been found in frozen “beef” burgers from the retailer Tesco, in Ireland and Britain, numerous products from several suppliers, have been pulled from store shelves in the United Kingdom, France and Sweden, containing up to 100 per cent horse meat in some cases.

Investigations have been launched into the origin of tainted meat, and officials say that as many as 16 European nations may be involved. At this point, it is unclear whether fraud, negligence or regulations changes are to blame.

In the UK, some point to a switch from domestic to foreign meat suppliers as the cause. In 2012, new European regulations deemed that “desinewed meat” (a fine mince derived from carcasses, and the main ingredient in value-range meat products) could no longer be called meat on packages. As such, thousands of tonnes of meat had to be sourced inexpensively elsewhere. Companies were given little notice of the change, made by the European Commission, and the government did not intervene in any way.

There is an apparent fracture in the food safety industry in the UK with responsibilities split between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who handle food labelling and composition, and the Food Standards Agency, who are tasked with ensuring food safety. Previously the FSA served as the governing body for food safety, but was stripped of its role in 2010.

Another theory claims that a ban of horses and donkeys on Romanian roads has led to a surplus of equine meat, which may have found its way into products sold in the UK, France and Sweden. Officials are probing the two French companies that handled the meat to determine whether they knew the meat was not actually beef.

It has also been hinted that organized crime – namely the Polish and Italian mafias – is responsible for substituting horsemeat for beef during food production.

For a comprehensive report on those involved, read the CNN report on the matter. Stay tuned for updates.

“The 2013 publication of the annual year-end assessment by Alltech is being released as an industry outlook resource for the new calendar year and will hopefully allow governments, non-governmental organizations and the greater public to appreciate the value that the feed industry is generating globally,” said Aidan Connolly, vice president of Alltech and director of Alltech’s annual Global Feed Tonnage Survey.

Among the 134 countries assessed in Alltech’s survey, China was reaffirmed as the chief producer of feed at 191 million tons and an estimated 10,000 feed mills. Consistent with late 2011 assessments, the United States and Brazil followed with 179 million tons produced by 5,251 feed mills and 66 million tons produced by 1,237 feed mills respectively. Overall, a 26 million ton increase was observed in BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) year to date.

Asia continues to be the world’s number one producing region at 350 million tons. However, Africa exceeded Asia in percent growth over 2011 results, increasing its tonnage nearly 15 percent from 47 million in 2011 to 54 million in 2012.

Globally, the survey identified 26,240 feed mills, with North America and Europe serving as home to more than half of them. The Middle East was estimated to have the largest feed mills, with an average of more than 63,000 tons produced per mill. Sixty percent of feed produced globally is pelleted, with percentages particularly high in Europe.

When analyzed by species:
• Poultry continues to dominate with a 43 percent share of the feed market at 411 million tons, likely due to religious and taste preferences as well as cost. It grew by approximately 8 percent over 2011 estimates. Sixty percent of all poultry feed tonnage is dedicated to broilers, with the rest fed to egg layers, turkeys, duck and other fowl.
• The pig feed sector matched poultry’s 8 percent growth, moving to 218 million tons globally.
• The ruminant feed market, comprising dairy, beef and small ruminants, grew more than 13 percent between late 2011 and December 2012, and now requires 254 million tons.
• Equine feed tonnage increased almost 17 percent to 10.8 million tons.
• Aquaculture is the fastest growing species sector by tonnage with growth greater than 55 percent since 2011.
• Pet food represents 20.5 million tons, 40 percent of which are produced in the United States, but Brazil continues to make considerable advances in this sector.

“As we look to the demands of the future, chiefly the feeding of 9 billion people by 2050, these survey results should stir optimism and resolve within our feed and food industries,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president of Alltech. “Our global feed industry is rising to the challenge, and we’re seeing growth across the board. Moreover, we’re seeing it in some particularly key areas– BRIC, Africa and aquaculture.”

Global feed production has traditionally been difficult to quantify because many countries lack a national feed association. For this reason, Alltech began in late 2011 to leverage its global presence to obtain a finer estimate of the world’s feed tonnage. The results of the annual year-end assessment are announced in January as an industry outlook resource for the new calendar year.

Connolly presented the 2012 Alltech Global Feed Tonnage Survey findings at a joint meeting of the International Feed Industry Federation and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Oct. 2012. The meeting identified the need to collect more detailed information, a request to which Alltech responded, engendering a deep appreciation for what the feed industry is delivering worldwide.

ORC Chair Rod Seiling has already had communications with Minister McMeekin and ORC Executive Director Steve Lehman has spoken with a number of senior OMAFRA personnel. As it has with other ministries, the ORC looks forward to building a strong working relationship with OMAFRA.

The ORC will continue to support and be a resource to OMAFRA as the racing industry works to move to a more self-sustaining model.

For further information, please contact Rod Seiling at the Ontario Racing Commission at 416 213-0520.

In an article published January 3, 2013 on the Standardbred Canada website (read here), it was revealed that these electronic bingo games look exactly like traditional slot machines. Further detailed in the article is that six new gaming centres featuring these “bingo” terminals are all located within 40 kilometres of existing gaming facilities – and many much, much closer.

The facilities are privately owned and operated, but the OLG has supplied the brand new machines, which look like slot machines, but are called “play-on-demand” machines. The OLG has stated that neither they nor the government will receive proceeds from the bingo halls, rather the revenue will we used to cover the costs of bingo modernization plan, referring to their share as “revenue neutral.” The OLG asserts that their role is to conduct and manage the project, and that it will cost them $475 million over the next eight years to do so, which is the same amount they boast that charities will receive over the same time period, with an average of $59.375 million per year.

They have noted the revenue split as follows: a centralized marketing fund of 7% will be set aside off the top; the bingo hall operator will get a blended 47% of the remaining net win; charities will receive 25%; the OLG will receive 25%, which is revenue neutral to cover costs; and the municipality will receive 3%. In addition, 10% of food and beverage sales will be provided to charities from the OLG’s 25% share.

Yes, it is a sacrifice sale. And frankly, things are not all that rosy in Fort Erie, Ontario, where live racing and gaming operations at the Fort Erie Race Track (FERT) have, for the most part, closed down at the end of 2012.

FERT was Fort Erie’s largest employer, with 250 jobs directly associated with the track and 600 support jobs taking care of horses and those who rely upon them.

The storied race track, with a 115-year history, was once considered among the most beautiful race tracks in North America.

The 2012 racing season scheduled 81 live racing days (76 thoroughbred and 5 quarter horse) from May 6 to October 30. On an average day, attendance was between 500 and 700 people, and on a big day, up to 12,000 would come through the doors.

A March, 2012, decision by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) to remove slot machines from the 17 race tracks in Ontario has had a devastating effect on live horse racing at all 17 tracks and especially Fort Erie.

Slot machines were introduced in 1999 with the intention of bringing more people into the racing venues. As a result of a 70% drop in American attendance (23 million in 2002 to 7 million in 2011), due to border crossing issues, increased competition and the economy, combined with the stated goal of modernizing lotteries and gaming, the OLG issued the March 2012 report, “Modernizing Lottery and Gaming in Ontario”.

The report called for discontinuing the Slots at Race Tracks program in border communities such as Fort Erie. Currently, slot machines are linked to race tracks and this site limitation cost the government an estimated $345 million a year. OLG maintains that by implementing their plan, separating slot machines and race tracks, will ultimately increase economic opportunities in Ontario.

But the impact to FERT is immediate. FERT has an annual operating budget of about $25 million (Canadian), but almost $6 million of it came in slot machine revenue. On June 5, faced with an almost 25% drop in revenue, the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium, a not-for-profit agency that has operated the race track since January 1, 2010, and is comprised of representatives from the Fort Erie Economic Development and Tourism Corporation, the Town of Fort Erie and the Ontario Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Asociation, voted to close the race track, effective December 31, 2012.

The Reporter spoke with James Thibert, the CEO of the Consortium.

Thibert is also GM of the Town of Fort Erie Economic Development and Tourism Corporation.

“It’s my job to do something with that property regardless,” he explained. “It is developable land convenient to the Queen Elizabeth Way and is across the Niagara River from the United States. However, it is also easier to keep what is currently there than to find a new investor to purchase it…. I’ve tried to get someone to come in and buy the property, let us keep the track running, and use that as a major attraction.”

Though the track ran its last race on October 29, the site remained operational until December 31. It was also in October, that the government-appointed Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel issued its final report on transforming the horse racing industry. It concluded there are no examples of world-class horse racing without government assistance, but did not recommend the slot machine program be restored at race tracks.

The Nordic Gaming Corporation (a subsidiary of Toronto-based El-Al Canada, Inc.), owns the Fort Erie Race Track and when the company threatened to close the track in 2009, the Consortium was created to take over the operation under a three-year lease.

The Consortium pays Nordic $650,000 per year and $450,000 in property taxes for the 100 acres it uses.

Despite loss of funding and the decision to close the track, Thibert has applied for 76 thoroughbred race dates and 5 quarter horse race dates for 2013. If a buyer can be found, the track can stay open, Thibert explained, but the drop dead date for having a racing season next year is March 31, 2013.

“You can’t go beyond March 31st. Our lease expires, our contract expires. Everything expires at midnight,” he said.

Meantime, if you are looking for a great fixer-upper and to dabble in the sport of kings, this may be the property for you.

The mention of the provincial horse-racing industry appears on Page 21 and states:

“Putting an immediate end to the OLGC’s empire building plan for 29 new casinos across the province could also create an opportunity for Ontario’s horse racing industry. One option would be to give racetrack operators a first crack at buying existing slots operations at fair market value, which could save their industry while still providing a good return to taxpayers.”

The white paper also contained many general references to the provincial gambling sector. Earlier this week, Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak made it public that he wants the province to get out of the business of being a gaming owner/operator, and strictly become a tough regulator of the lucrative industry.

The white paper states that, if voted into power, the Ontario PC Party would “re-examine every business that government is in,” to see if there is still a need for government ownership, or real value for the public. The paper singles out gaming in this instance, noting “of particular interest are government’s gambling and liquor businesses.”

The white paper also takes aim at the OLG, stating:

“The case for change in gambling is even stronger. We believe that government must regulate the industry, but it certainly doesn’t need to run its day-to-day operations. The track record of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is a sorry one. Casino profits have dropped from $800 million in 2001 to just $100 million in 2011. The company itself says it requires $1 billion in public money to refresh its outdated products. And this is after pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into its struggling resort casino in Windsor, money that could have gone towards highways or hospitals.”

A reoccurring reference to the fact that the government should take on a tough regulatory role to the gaming industry keeps appearing in the white paper. “It is time for the government to become the responsible, respected and tough regulator and not the operator trying to bully communities into accepting new casinos. The government should move to wind down the OLGC, and privatize its lotteries, casino assets and slots operations.”

Click here to view Hudak’s introduction to the WHITE PAPER in its entirety.

“For Ontario to be successful, we need a strong rural voice, strong rural communities, and a strong rural economy,” Hoskins said. “My plan is about respecting rural Ontarians, and ensuring that they share in Ontario’s economic growth.”

The plan, called Respect for Rural Ontario, features 25 initiatives to support rural Ontario, including:

• Appointing a Rural Advisor to the Premier and creating a Rural Advisory Committee.
• Launching a Rural Jobs and Economic Development Strategy.
• Developing a strategy to deliver high speed internet throughout rural Ontario.
• Sharing gas tax revenues with rural municipalities to fund transportation infrastructure and creating a Rural Transit Strategy.

“If we’re going to succeed, we need to re-engage with rural Ontarians,” Hoskins added. “That means treating them with respect, listening to them, and making sustained efforts to improve the quality of life in rural communities. Every decision by Queen’s Park needs to be looked at through a rural lens.”

Speaking in praise of Hoskins’s rural platform, former MPP Jim Brownell said: “Eric has a strong interest and certainly understands the issues that impact rural Ontario. He has demonstrated a clear commitment to moving forward in a positive way on the issues that are most important to rural Ontarians.”

Hoskins’s Respect for Rural Ontario plan is the first comprehensive plank in his leadership platform.

“I have chosen to release my rural policy first to underscore the importance that I place on rural Ontario and to highlight the place it holds in my heart. I am the leadership candidate who has deep, sustained roots in rural Ontario, and I am committed to building a strong rural Ontario and a strong rural voice within the Ontario Liberal Party,” said Hoskins.

Click here to read Hoskins’s full rural platform, Respect for Rural Ontario.

The President of the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association, Sue Leslie, believes Hoskins platform is a step in the right direction:

“I am happy to see Dr. Hoskins taking a stance on rural issues. The Horse Racing and Breeding Industry has endured countless blows by the current government as they have continued to move forward with plans that will kill our industry and hurt Ontario’s rural economy and traditions” said Leslie.

“We sincerely hope the other candidates will follow suit, and we will be watching closely.”

In his detailed platform, Hoskins says he will ensure the Horse Racing Industry is an “integral part of the provincial gaming strategy” and plans to develop a strong government partnership with the sector. Hoskins also commits to helping rural Ontario through job and education programs, transit strategies, and tax credits for employers hiring rural employees.

Thoroughbred participants are reminded that effective January 1, 2013 all safety vests and helmets worn while mounted must meet the following standards (ORC TB Rule 14.02.02):

HELMETS

1. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM 1163)
2. UK Standards (EN-1384 and PAS-015) or
3. Australian /New Zealand Standards (AS/NZ 3838)

VESTS

1. British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA:2000 Level 1)
2. Euro Norm (EN 13158:2000 Level 1 )
3. American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM F2681-08)
4. Shoe and Allied Trade Research Association (SATRA Jockey Vest Document M6 Issue 3 ) or
5. Australian Racing Board (ARB Standard 1.1998)

The ORC will be working with participants and the suppliers in the roll out of these new requirements. Participants are advised to check their equipment.
Any question regarding the new requirements should be directed to the ORC Stewards.

Vesicular Stomatitis is a reportable disease as per the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), meaning that horse owners must immediately report the presence of any horse suspected of being affected by the disease. The disease causes blister-like lesions to be formed on the inside of the mouth, nose and hooves, alongside flu like symptoms and anorexia.

As a result of the ongoing VS outbreak in New Mexico, the CFIA still has the following import and export policies for horses travelling to the United States effective until further notice:
The importation of horses from the State New Mexico (NM) for all end-uses is prohibited (except for Canadian horses returning from NM-please see below).

For horses coming from the US, for all end-uses, from all other states, the following requirement applies:
During the previous twenty-one (21) days, the animal(s) in this shipment has/have not been in the state of New Mexico.

For Canadian Horses going to and returning from New Mexico:

It is still necessary that they bring their animals back to Canada with an import permit and a U.S. health certificate containing supplementary certification confirming their disease-free status.

Supplementary certification should include the following:
The horse(s) were inspected by a veterinarian within fifteen (15) days preceding the date of importation;
The horse(s) have not been on a premises where Vesicular Stomatitis (clinical or serology) has occurred during the 60 days immediately preceding exportation to Canada, nor has this disease occurred on any adjoining premises during the same period of time.
The horses must have tested negative to Vesicular Stomatitis using a cELISA test, during the fifteen (15) days prior to the date of importation into Canada.

Alternatively, they may move their horses to alternate states and establish residency in that state for at least 21 days prior to export to Canada. In that case, the horses will be returning to Canada on a U.S. health certificate that includes a statement for non-residency in New Mexico during the last 21 days prior to export to Canada (i.e.”During the previous twenty-one (21) days, the animal(s) in this shipment has/have not been in the state of New Mexico”).

Horses should not be moved to the state of Texas, where other disease restrictions are in place, and residency in these states affects import requirements.

Note: Various U.S. states may also prohibit movement into state without permit/certification/testing/post-entry testing. The Canadian horse owner should check state requirements before movement.

Equine piroplasmosis related import restrictions on Texas and New Mexico are still applicable.

Import conditions in AIRS have been adjusted accordingly.

Further information on vesicular stomatitis, its clinical signs and transmission can be found on the CFIA Vesicular Stomatitis Fact Sheet.

First and foremost, regarding the Sustainable Horse Racing Model, Leslie said, “I want it clearly understood by the industry that this is a model that the Panel are recommending. This isn’t an OHRIA model, this isn’t an OHRIA plan. This is a model that the OMAFRA Panel has come up with to begin negotiations with.”

With cautious optimism, Leslie outlined the positive points of the report. “From the Panel’s point of view, they have accomplished three things on behalf of the industry,” she said. “They have identified that the industry cannot survive on pari-mutuel wagering. When this thing started out, the government thought we would shrink, but they thought we could have a robust horse racing industry based just on pari-mutuel. In their report, they say that no jurisdiction they checked into operated horse racing based on pari-mutuel alone.”

She continued, “Point two, the government was totally unwilling to sit down with the horse racing industry and negotiate. The Panel now has agreement from the government to sit in a room with horse racing and negotiate.

“The third thing is, the Panel was given $50 million over three years to transition the industry. The Panel is now telling us that they have secured a substantial amount of money – granted we don’t know what they number is – but they say they have secured a substantial amount of money that will finance the model they are proposing.” But, she pointed out, “This doesn’t mean we agree with the model.”

Leslie concluded, “So, we’ve gone from having absolutely nothing, and no credibility to having credibility, to having the ability now to negotiate and having what they tell us is enough money to sustain our industry.

“The only way for us to know now, is now to get into the room in good faith with the government and try to negotiate. And that is either going to mean there is rapid progress or there isn’t. We don’t have any more time. Race dates have to be decided over the next month.”

Leslie noted that “until racetracks commit to whether they are going to race or not, how can you say who should have what dates? We don’t know, because of the OLG’s lack of cooperation, who is going to have slots and who isn’t. We don’t know who might operate slots and who won’t. We don’t know who might get table games or who won’t. And because of all those unknowns, we don’t know what racetracks are going to say they want to race.

“OHRIA has no ability to force a racetrack to close a slot or open a slot, or run a live race, or not run a live race.”

With the upcoming provincial election, Leslie said there is hope that the NDP and the PC parties will be more amenable to negotiating with the horse racing industry, should either party come into power, but warned, “To be very clear, despite many meetings with both of those opposition parties, neither leader has come forward and said they are interested in reinstating the slots at races program.”