Thursday
4th December 2003
Progress on emergency FMD vaccine |
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| Farms
were sealed off in the 2001 outbreaks |
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The
Government has signalled a change in policy in dealing with foot-and-mouth
outbreaks, with hopes that an emergency vaccine can be developed and
used in the early stages of any future incidents. |
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There
are hopes that an emergency vaccine will be used in the event of any
future foot-and-mouth outbreaks.
It follows widespread criticism of the Government's cull policy during
the 2001 crisis, when 400,000 animals in Devon were slaughtered -
most of them as contiguous cases.
The use of an emergency vaccine will play a big part in a two-day
exercise in the summer of 2004, when a simulated outbreak and response
is to be staged.
News
of the development of an emergency vaccine was revealed by Animal
Health Minister Ben Bradshaw, who is the Labour MP for Exeter.
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| An
emergency vaccine would prevent the need for mass culls |
An emergency
vaccine was one of the recommendations in the Royal Society's report
following the 2001 cases.
Mr Bradshaw has now written to the Royal Society, detailing what he
describes as the "good" progress which has been made on
such a vaccine.
Further progress includes:
- Negotiation of a new EU directive on foot-and-mouth disease
control, moving vaccination to the forefront of a control strategy
- Working with the farming and food industry to make emergency
vaccine a workable option
- Funding research into tests that would demonstrate the absence
of infection in animals following vaccination
- Establishing arrangements with an external contractor which
would enable an emergency vaccine programme to be implemented
promptly.
However, although an emergency vaccine would be a prime control strategy,
it would be in addition to the culling of infected animals and dangerous
contacts.
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is planning
a series of exercises over the coming months, to check its revised
foot-and-mouth disease contingency plan.
And, at the end of the exercises, there will be a two day simulated
outbreak on 29-30 June 2004, involving officials, farmers, vets and
the media.
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farming news |
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