Victorian Harness Racing participants are reminded of the provisions of the Australian Harness Racing Rule (AHRR) 194 which provides:
A person who procures or attempts to procure or who has in his possession or on his premises or under his control any substance or preparation that has not been registered, labelled, prescribed, dispensed or obtained in compliance with relevant State and Commonwealth legislation is guilty of an offence.
Participants are encouraged to exercise extreme caution with respect to the possession and use of supplementary products upon their horses. No product should be purchased or used without seeking appropriate veterinary guidance to ensure that the product is necessary, registered, labelled, prescribed, dispensed or obtained in compliance with the law. Participants are warned against purchasing or using any product that does not have a label listing all active constituents. Participants are also warned about purchasing or using any product from sources of unknown repute.
The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) is the Australian government authority responsible for the assessment and registration of pesticides and veterinary medicines.
The APVMA have a publicly available database which can be used to check whether products that claim to be veterinary products are registered. It can be found here: https://portal.apvma.gov.au/pubcris
In addition to checking with their veterinarian, participants may also contact the APVMA directly or the HRV Integrity Department regarding any queries they have regarding a particular product or substance.