The American Horse Council (AHC) has announced that the theme for this year's National Issues Forum is "Emerging Diseases: a Challenge to the Industry." This forum, which will be co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS), and the AHC will be held June 21 and 22 in Washington, DC, as part of the AHC's annual meeting. The annual meeting will run from June 20 to 23 and will also include a Trails Forum, the annual Congressional Ride-In, AHC committee meetings, and a Congressional Reception.

The emergence of a major equine disease can have dramatic consequences for the horse industry. Such outbreaks have occurred with some frequency over the last several years, most recently involving Contagious Equine Metritis in 2008 and Equine Piroplasmosis in 2009. These outbreaks have affected the interstate and international movement of horses, which is critical to the horse industry. When barriers to movement are raised by states and foreign countries concerned about the spread of infectious diseases, this affects sales, breeding, racing, competitions, and recreation.

These outbreaks have caused USDA-APHIS and state authorities to spend a great deal of money and resources to identify the diseases, trace the horses potentially affected, and contain the outbreak.

"The highlight of this year's forum will be a USDA-AHC hosted workshop that will provide an opportunity for the horse industry, key federal and state authorities, and others to discuss how each sector can ensure the health of our horses and the commercial health of the industry in the face of emerging and re-emerging diseases," said AHC president Jay Hickey. "We appreciate USDA-APHIS taking the initiative on this meeting