Australian racehorses handed over after routine customs checks
More than 40 race horses from Australia were handed to a domestic horse company by Shanghai Customs after a one-month quarantine and health checks, customs said.
According to the Shanxi-based Yu Long Horse Corporation, these thoroughbred horses, worth nearly 10 million yuan (US$1.49 million), will be transported to Shanxi Province to meet their owners and attend equestrian events like the Yulong International Racing Tournament in the future.
Before the handover, local customs collected the horses' blood samples twice and completed a test on their health condition at the quarantine farm. The trucks set to carry them had all been cleaned and disinfected.
Wu Chengyun is an official with Shanghai Customs who is responsible for this program. "Previously, we often received three to six horses at a time for horse trade, but this time we got 42 and that required more work," Wu told Shanghai Daily.
Since the horses' flights always arrived at midnight or dawn, they had to wait at the airport to check the horses' information and conditions. During the quarantine period, they conducted blood sample collection and routine checks.
According to Wu, the majority of the racehorses entering the country through Shanghai ports are from Australia and New Zealand. Most are well-trained and easy to get along with, but sometimes there will be a few with fiery tempers which may kick them.
Gu Jia, vice general manager of the horse company, said it's the first time they've imported horses from overseas without an agency, and they chose Shanghai ports because Shanghai Customs have a mature system relating to the entry of racehorses.
"We have consulted with customs officers many times on the procedures and they helped us a lot," said Gu. "They led doing the procedures step by step."
The horse industry is now booming in China, and last year nearly 300 horses entered the country via Shanghai ports.
Now another national quarantine farm has been established in Chongming District and will soon be put into use after checks, customs said. It can house 1,000 pigs, 200 cattle and 40 horses.