Why do I need to get my mare swabbed for CEM (Contagious Equine Metritis)?
The recent CEM outbreak in the United States shows just how difficult life can become if CEM gets into a breeding population. It can cause fertility problems and potentially abortion in mares, and can be difficult to eradicate from stallions, who become carriers of the CEM organism. It is a notifiable disease under UK law, and farms/studs found to have horses with CEM will be quarantined by DEFRA.
