A A$10M ($7.8M) commercial arrangement between Equestrian Australia and global pharmaceutical company Zoetis was "announced on Easter Thursday and ended less than two weeks later, making it arguably the shortest lived sponsorship in Australian sport," according to Roy Masters of THE AGE. EA "severed the lucrative contract with Zoetis," the world’s largest producer of medication for pets and livestock, including the vaccine for the Hendra virus, following "widespread opposition from its membership" as well as four of the six state equestrian branches. A number of EA members launched a A$53M ($41M) class action lawsuit in the Federal Court against Zoetis for the "sometimes debilitating or fatal side effects of the Hendra virus vaccine." The legal action alleges Zoetis "failed to properly trial and test its Equivac HeV (Hendra) vaccine" before it was administered to horses in Australia. The state branches of Equestrian NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia all "issued public statements over the Easter weekend, distancing themselves from the commercial alignment," while "vehement opposition was launched on social media" (THE AGE, 4/16).
