Crisis and Opportunity - The Report
DEFRA COMMENTS TO INQUIRIES ON FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE (FMD):
SLAUGHTER POLICY
Government priority has been to eradicate FMD as quickly as possible.
To achieve this, the policy is as follows:
- Cull all susceptible animals on confirmed infected farms within 24 hours of the first report of the disease by the farmer.
- Cull all susceptible livestock on farms neighbouring an infected farm (contiguous premises) within 48 hours of the first report other than in the cases described below. It is necessary to cull animals exposed to disease even if they are not showing signs of disease. By the time signs develop the animals would have been breathing out the virus for several days, and dairy cows will have been excreting virus in their milk, running a high risk of spreading the disease further.
- Cull all animals on farms that are considered to be dangerous contacts i.e. where there is a close link to a confirmed case due to for example movement of animals, people, vehicles or equipment.
- Slaughter on suspicion animals that can not be clinically diagnosed but which are suspected on veterinary grounds to be infected. In these cases a full set of diagnostic samples as well as a statistical bleed of any sheep present is taken. Contiguous premises are not immediately culled. If the laboratory results confirm the disease the case becomes confirmed and the contiguous premises are culled.
This policy has applied since the first case of disease (although the contiguous premises policy was not introduced until the end of March). In addition, the Minister announced on 15 March that pigs and sheep within 3 km of infected premises in Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway would also be subject to culling on the grounds that they had been exposed to infection. The cull was completed in Dumfries and Galloway and replaced by serological testing in Cumbria on 24 May.
The contiguous premises policy when introduced in late March was based on veterinary and epidemiological advice given to DEFRA by its experts, that in all the circumstances of this FMD outbreak animals on premises contiguous to IPs were exposed to disease. However where a farmer asserted that his animals had not been exposed, a re-assessment was performed by local vets to determine whether or not there were any factors which demonstrated that exposure had not in fact occurred. If for any of a number of reasons (e.g. farmer resistance) exposed cattle or pigs on a CP had not been culled within 21 days of the confirmation of disease on the relevant IP, those animals on that CP were exempted from slaughter if they showed no clinical signs of disease.
The contiguous premises slaughter policy was further refined at the end of April, by extending the scope for local veterinary judgement: -
- Cattle could be spared if there was adequate biosecurity (but not if they had grazed within 50 metres of an IP boundary since 1 February).
- A strictly limited exemption for rare breed and hefted sheep, was introduced if they could be isolated from other stock and strict biosecurity was imposed.
The previous exemption for cattle and pigs if no clinical signs had appeared for 21 days after the relevant IP was retained. In July, an exemption policy for rare breeds of pigs and for small camelids was introduced providing strict biosecurity measures were met.
In terms of the overall slaughter policy, it should be noted that:
- Scientific advice is that the policy of culling susceptible animals on contiguous farms was vital to get ahead of the infection by removing animals that were already potentially incubating the FMD virus. This advice was informed by four different epidemiological models.
- However, it was not always possible to meet the target of slaughtering susceptible animals on contiguous premises within 48 hours of the first report. Sometimes this was due to lack of resources in a particular area, or physical access difficulties. Some delays also due to farmer resistance or legal challenge. Epidemiological data suggests that such delays did extend the outbreak. The proposed Animal Health (Amendment) Bill will lessen delays due to inappropriate action by farmers.
- All farmers are paid full market value as compensation for any animals slaughtered as a result of the FMD outbreak.
- Everyone engaged in the slaughter and killing process must have the knowledge and skill necessary to perform the tasks humanely and efficiently in accordance with Schedule 1 of the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995. Where members of the armed forces were involved in the foot and mouth cull they were trained beforehand. Outside slaughterhouses, Veterinary Officers of the State Veterinary Service enforce the legislation.
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