The long-awaited European Union (EU) audit date for the South African Bloodstock Industry has been announced by the Food and Veterinary Office (FVO).

Officials from the FVO will be conducting the audit between 20 April and 1 May 2020.

Once the visit is complete and the report has been finalised, the FVO team will engage in a dialogue with South Africa to finalise any queries. Once this has been actioned the final report will be submitted to the EU commission for review and consideration with respect to the lifting of the ban. This post-audit process could realistically take 2 to 4 months.

The South African Equine Health & Protocols (SAEHP) confirmed today via MD Adrian Todd that the dates were finalised last Friday and said: “The South African Department of Agriculture was officially notified by the FVO.”

Todd expressed his delight and commented: “We’ve been planning this for many years and the announcement is a culmination of our efforts.

“To have finally reached this stage is a potential watershed for South African breeding and racing. It wouldn’t have been possible without working hand in hand with the South African government, and we thank them.

Todd explained the logistics of the audit last month, saying: “Audits in any sector seldom return flawless results. Nobody ever gets a 100% clear report. There will be additional recommendations from the EU team after the audit. They will send a report and we will implement what they suggest.

“I am 100% confident that the audit will be successful for us. We have done everything we can, everything humanly possible, to comply with what is needed.”

The question everybody is asking is what is the timeline?

Todd explained, “I would expect that once any additional recommendations have been implemented, we should be looking at the reinstatement of direct exports to the EU by September/October.”

Disclaimer: Part of this article originally appeared on the Sporting Post website published on 27 January 2020. We do not claim any copyright or ownership of this article. We’re merely republishing it for interest’s sake.