IEN in Middle East at Al Fares
Independent Equine Nutrition (IEN) are in the United Arab Emirates to promote their areas of expertise, namely prohibited substances and nutrition. Drs Dunnett will be attending the Al Fares Fare at the International Trade & Exhibition Centre, Dubai.
IEN is at the forefront in the UK for analytical testing of naturally occurring prohibited substances in equine feeds and supplements, testing for the majority of UK manufacturers. A new herbal screening service has also recently been introduced. But did you know that IEN also provides expert witness services when problems arise? For instance IEN conducted forensic research and provided expert opinion in the recent British morphine issue in racing. Earlier this year IEN provided the same service which helped clear the names of New Zealand eventer Jock Paget and Australian Kevin McNab at the FEI, obtaining a historic ‘no fault’ verdict after reserpine was found in their horses.
Meanwhile IEN is also able to provide expert advice on formulation of feed and supplements, as well as specific dietary advice for horses by designing improved feeding regimes to meet the needs of horses doing different types of work in different regions, seasons and scenarios. .
If you feel that IEN could be of service to you, we would be delighted to meet at Al Fares this week.
Building on the successes of previous years 2014 continues this trend with strong and sustained growth in the demand for laboratory testing services offered by Independent Equine Nutrition. To ensure that we can continue to meet the needs of clients IEN has recently enhanced its analytical capacity through the purchase of new Waters UPLC-tandem mass spectrometry instruments. IEN offers ‘state-of the –art’ feed contaminant (naturally occurring prohibited substances, NOPS) testing services to national and international horsefeed manufacturers. For further details regarding equine testing services available from IEN, please see the relevant sections of our website.
IEN are now able to offer their clients a comprehensive analytical screen for mycotoxins. The screen, which can be applied to forage, feed or ingredients, detects over 35 different mycotoxins from the main contaminating groups including Aflatoxins, Ochratoxins, Trichothecenes, Fumonosins, Aspergillus and Penicillium mycotoxins and Ergot alkaloids. Reported in an easy to interpret format, results are available within a usual 2 week turnaround period.
Please contact us for more information including pricing for one off or regular analysis.
Horse & Hound, the internationally recognised consumer equestrian magazine, have turned to IEN for expert advice on nutrition including frequent editorial input. IEN was recently invited to take part in a round table discussion, to be featured in January, on joint disease. Offering the nutritionist’s viewpoint, IEN formed a panel of experts together with Rossdale’s vet and orthopaedic expert Andy Bathe, internationally recognised farrier Simon Curtis, as well as acclaimed riders including husband and wife team Pippa and William Funnell and dressage stalwart Richard Davison. The day featured some robust discussion led by Horse & Hound editor Lucy Higginson and features editor Jaki Bell. IEN put forward the view that good basic nutrition was essential for maintained joint health with steps being taken to avoid obesity, which can accelerate joint disease. In addition IEN voiced an opinion that many of the interesting ingredients utilised to help maintain joint health simply don’t have sufficient evidence for their efficacy, reflecting the low level of investment in equine research.
2013 was another record breaking year for IEN’s NOPS (naturally occuring prohibited substances) analysis service. It has grown year on year since its inception and IEN are now one of the most experienced and biggest providers of this service in Europe and beyond, with new clients in Australia, India and the Middle East. This ongoing quantitative and geographical growth of our service is being mirrored by an increasing diversity of sample types being submitted by our clients such as feed ingredients (including herbals), additives, premixes, as well as finished feeds and supplements. At IEN we pride ourselves in our customer service, providing post-reporting support in terms of interpretation and advice that draws upon our unique in-house blend of analytical skills and equine feed production knowledge. The increased application of common contaminants testing following the inception of the BETA-NOPS Scheme and the due diligence that accompanies it within commercial companies manufacturing under the UFAS and FEMAS Codes has helped to drive down the number of post-race or competition positives over the years. Consultancy advice encompassing traceability and risk assessment are an important addition to NOPS testing in order to minimise the risk of contamination from substances that fall outside of the scope of the current NOPS screen.
