With precautions against Avian Influenza further strengthened last week and reports of Schmallenberg Virus cases across the country, vets have highlighted the anniversary of the devastating 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak (19 February) as a timely reminder that a robust surveillance system is vital to the health of UK livestock.
 
A survey of the profession by the British Veterinary Association (BVA) has shown that, where there have been changes to post-mortem facilities since 2014, a third of vets affected thought their access to facilities had deteriorated and, where there have been laboratory closures, three-quarters of vets had seen carcase submission rates decline.
 
Commenting on the findings, Gudrun Ravetz, President, British Veterinary Association, said, “Disease is unpredictable, particularly new diseases and novel strains of diseases in our increasingly globalised world. As a country we need to be alert to the threat posed to our livestock, food chain and agricultural business by disease incursions.”
 
Disease control was identified by BVA members as one of their top three highest priorities in relation to Brexit, with veterinary surgeons specifically citing zoonotic disease and a ‘break down in surveillance communication’ amongst the issues they are most worried about.
 
“While we understand the need to update and, in places, consolidate laboratory services, our survey figures show how the closure of laboratories and the cutting of resource to APHA services affect vets’ and farmers’ access to laboratories. Vets’ frontline roles must be recognised and supported, backed up by an effective, coordinated system of data capture that will enable us to make the necessary links to detect and control new disease threats, protect food safety and safeguard animal and human health.”
 
As the UK’s plans for exiting the EU progress, BVA is calling on the UK Government to ensure resources for existing disease control and eradication programmes and surveillance systems are maintained to ensure the UK has effective and adequately resourced systems for detecting new and emerging diseases.
 
As part of BVA’s principles for negotiating the UK’s exit from the EU, the Association is also calling on the Government to ensure the maintenance of reciprocal surveillance data sharing with Europe, and internationally.