Equine specialist New Zealand Bloodstock (NZB) has gained approval from the Australian government’s veterinary department for its new UK quarantine station in Sussex.
Approval allows NZB’s airfreight arm to offer a monthly horse transport service ex UK to Australia from November this year. NZB Airfreight already offers a similar service from the UK to New Zealand.
NZB airfreight manager Greg Northcott told Air Cargo News: “We will be offering this service to all horse owners, trainers and breeders and the horses will be on scheduled services at this stage.”
NZB Airfreight transports about 2,500 horses per year around Australasia and mainly Asian countries, Northcott said.
He added: “We have a well-established client base in both Australia and New Zealand from over 50 years of flying between the two countries. We are seeing more and more horses travelling from Europe to Australia and this is an opportunity for us to meet the needs of our existing customers.”
Horses will be flown into Sydney initially but Melbourne will become the destination in December as quarantine facilities change.
NZB Airfreight will also offer a service from the rest of Europe, including health and vaccination requirements and customs clearance.
The new Australian service will use Singapore Airlines freighter capacity from London via Changi. In the UK, logistics is handled by BBA Shipping and Transport.
Based in in Newmarket, BBA grew out of the shipping department of the British Bloodstock Agency and Transport and specialises in the permanent and temporary export of horses all over the world, from the UK and Europe as well as the transportation of Continental European horses to major international races.
