Tomorrow will mark the start of 'Exercise Walnut', a major national exercise involving the AHVLA, Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) alongside other 'key operational partners'. The exercise will simulate the outbreak of Classical Swine Fever (CSF), in order to test the government response to such an emergency.

The simulation will take place over two days (12-13 June 2013); the aim is to tests existing government plans and policies for the control and eradication of this "significant exotic notifiable disease," according to AHVLA. The agency will lead the exercise over the next two days. AHVLA said it also hoped to identify areas where disease management can be improved and test proposed new draft legislation.

As part of the exercise, a National Disease Control Centre (NDCC) and Local Disease Control Centres (LDCCs) will be established in Perth, Leicester and Caernarfon. In addition to these, a Disease Strategy Group (DSG) will be set up in Edinburgh, an Emergency Coordination Centre for Wales in Cardiff and a Central Epizootic Disease Control Centre (CEDCC) in Belfast.

Gordon Hickman, Head of Contingency Planning and Regulatory Affairs for AHVLA, said the simulation will help to ensure that Government is prepared to respond to future disease outbreaks.

"Exercises such as this allow us to identify better ways of working, and help ensure our approach to managing a significant disease outbreak is properly coordinated," he said. "We must continue to test and improve our disease control measures, and put ourselves in the best possible position to minimise the impact on farmers and their livestock should the worst occur."

The real-time scenario follows to tabletop simulations, which took place earlier this year.

An evaluation of the exercise will be published in the form of a report, due for release in late 2013, following a final tabletop exercise.