Australia will tomorrow be declared officially free from equine influenza, almost a year after the first outbreak devastated the racing industry.
Owners will now be able to move horses freely and events held without notifying authorities.
It also means horses that are entering New Zealand from Australia will no longer be required to remain in quarantine for five weeks.
The last detected incidence of the disease was on December 25, with almost 79,000 laboratory tests conducted in NSW and Queensland since finding no new cases.
The first incidence of EI occurred in August 2007, leading to changes to horse quarantine arrangements.
Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke said that Australia had learnt from the outbreak and would be better equipped to deal with future emergencies.
"This declaration is a major milestone in the road to recovery," Mr Burke said.
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