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FMD Contingency Plan for WALES
Dr James Irvine
Teviot Scientific at Cultybraggan Farm, Perthshire
Filed 19 Apr 04
©www.land-care.org.uk
Barry Alston, writing in the Farmers Guadian 16
April, relates the comments of Arwyn Owen, policy director of Farmers'
Union of Wales regarding the publication of the FMD Contingency
Plan for Wales.
The Welsh farming union have expressed concern
that the plan states that in the event of an FMD outbreak the countryside
should remain open and there will be a presumption in favour of
access being maintained. Mr Owen is quoted as syaing that
"We strongly believe that the presumption should be in favour
of disease control consistent with reasonable access. Furthermore,
the onus of responsibility for disinfection and biosecurity should
rest with the person walking the countryside rather than the farmer
or the landowner"
With regard to Scotland, the Royal Society of
Edinburgh Foot and Mouth Inquiry (1) made
the recommendation that access to the countryside should be closed
and progressively opened up as soon as possible as the nature of
the outbreak and its distribution and possible spread were elucidated.
Regrettably the Scottish Executive did not accept this recommendation,
no doubt being biased with political aims in mind rather than concerns
over biosecurity or disease control.
What is disappointing about the Mr Owen's comments
as reported in the Farmers Guardian is the stance he took over vaccination
as an important early component of a control strategy. He raised
the same old bogeys such as the time taken for vaccination to be
effective and "the complications caused by the range of strains
of the disease". Worse still he is quoted as saying:
"In addition , with current international trading rules
which restrict the marketing of vaccinated livestock would inevitably
result in increased economic pressure on the industry"
It seems that within the EU we can never move
forward, or if so only painfully slowly. In the EU we are governed
by rules that are often poorly thought out in the first place, or
are far too slow to be brought up to date in the face of developments
in science. We are also far too slow in applying the science that
is available, and indeed in developing it further. We appear to
be ruled by numerous committees that meet too seldom and who seem
to have political agendas remote from what these should be - the
control of the disease.
Arwyn Owen can, however, be supported in his demand
for better controls at airports and seaports over the importation
of meat and meat products. Indeed the Farmers' Union of Wales has
been active in promoting the Bushmeat Campaign to step up controls
on illegal food imports at UK ports of entry. Without such controls
it will only be a matter of time before there is another FMD outbreak
within our shores.
Modern FMD contingency planning within the UK
seems to be sadly lacking in getting its act together with regard
to reserve supplies of FMD vaccines, who is going to be doing the
vaccinations (why not the stockmen?), the laboratory tests to be
used to provide early diagnosis on site, and the back-up laboratory
resources that would be essential (2).
©www.land-care.org.uk
References
1. Royal Society of Edinburgh
(2002). Inquiry into foot and mouth disease in Scotland.
http:/www.royalsoced.org.uk
2. Irvine, James & Marshall,
Mary (2003). FMD siumulation exercise in Scotland: lessons are still
to be learned
See FMD Homepage, filed 08 Oct 03, www.land-care.org.uk (Click
Here to View)
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