Source: Equestrian Canada

A new pilot program is launching in Ontario to test an electronic Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) submission and certificate production system that private EIA accredited veterinarians and approved laboratories could have the option of using in the future.

This pilot program involves the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Global VetLINK (GVL), the Animal Health Laboratory at the University of Guelph, and a small number of private veterinarians accredited to test for EIA.

The program will use the web-based digital equine health certification system EquusLINK, created for Canadian use by GVL. EquusLINK will allow labs to enter EIA results electronically and equine practitioners to quickly and accurately submit client and patient information in real time to labs. EquusLINK utilizes digital photography, resulting in the creation of professional electronic EIA certificates that can be accessed from the GVL platform by owners, veterinarians, laboratories and regulators.

The program is anticipated to continue to the end of August 2016, at which point future plans will be determined. Competition organizers and venue managers may begin to see copies of GVL's Canadian EquusLINK certificates presented as proof of EIA testing. The CFIA has informed their counterparts in the United States as well as the Canadian and US border services about the pilot activity and that the new forms will be in circulation.

For more information on the EquusLINK pilot program, please visit: www.globalvetlink.com/products/equuslink.