Inquiry recommends vaccination to prevent another F&M epidemic
The Royal Society said animals on an infected farm should still be culled but suggests healthy livestock on neighbouring premises be vaccinated as a “major tool of first resort” to prevent the disease from spreading.
It says Britain should make a major effort with other EU states to ensure emergency vaccination could be used by the end of next year.
The inquiry rejected, however, routine vaccination of all susceptible animals in the UK as long as the risk of disease entering the country remains low.
It goes on to say the Government should adopt a policy of “vaccinate to live” if another outbreak occurs, meaning that the meat from animals given the vaccine should be allowed to enter the human food chain.
The report also suggests that contingency plans designed to control future animal disease outbreaks be approved in advance by Parliament. It says the plans should be rehearsed every year and reviewed every three years.
The Royal Society inquiry, under the chairmanship of Professor Brian Follett, was asked to review scientific questions relating to the transmission, prevention and control of epidemic outbreaks of infectious diseases in livestock in Britain.
It followed last year’s devastating foot-and-mouth crisis which led to the slaughter of almost seven million animals and cost the taxpayer and the private sector more than stg£8bn.
However, the inquiry was also asked to look wider at other animal diseases which pose a threat to livestock in Britain, such as classical and African swine fever.
“Globalisation has caused an increased risk of infectious animal diseases entering the UK,” said Professor Follett.
“The overall objective of the national policy must be to minimise the risk of a disease entering the country and reaching a farm. If an outbreak does occur, it must not be allowed to develop into an epidemic, as has happened a number of times in the last century.”
The report also calls on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to approve a test by the end of next year which allows officials to distinguish between infected and vaccinated animals.
