Official Veterinary Team From China Visits Kentucky

Kentucky agriculture commissioner Ryan Quarles and some horse industry leaders welcomed an official veterinary team from the People's Republic of China this month in a visit that could help open China to the export of horses from the United States.

Hosted by Quarles and state veterinarian Robert Stout, the visit was coordinated by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTA-KTOB), United States Department of Agriculture, Keeneland, and the American Quarter Horse Association. The veterinary team visited Kentucky sale companies, equine hospitals, and farms. 

Some of the stops for the Chinese veterinary team included Keeneland, Fasig-Tipton Kentucky, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, Darley, WinStar Farm, and the Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event.

Commissioner Quarles used the meeting to encourage Chinese policymakers to accept international standards related to Equine Infectious Anemia, which currently prohibits the export of live horses from the U.S. to China.

"Kentucky is home to some of the best bloodstock in the world," Quarles said. "If China wants to be a player in the global equine industry, it should open its doors to Kentucky horses."

Dr. Stout emphasized from an animal-safety and disease-prevention perspective that Kentucky works hand-in-hand with state and federal authorities as well as industry players to protect the most valuable horse industry in the world.

The visit follows a September trip by Quarles, KTA-KTOB executive director Chauncey Morris, and Keeneland's China representative David Snodgrass as Kentucky works with China. Morris said he's hopeful the efforts will see China allow the export of horses from Kentucky and throughout the U.S.

Kentucky agricultural exports to China totaled nearly $92.6 million in 2016, 31st in the nation, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. Of that total, approximately 81% were forest products. China was Kentucky's fourth largest export destination for agricultural products, behind Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Morris noted that Quarles is working closely with Terry Branstad, who is going through the approval process after being selected by President Trump as the new ambassador to China; and new U.S. secretary of agriculture Sonny Perdue on opening China to U.S. horses.