Sheep Veterinary Society
Division of the British Veterinary Association

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Positive progress in dealing with the foot and mouth outbreak in Scotland was underlined by a range of measures announced today by Ross Finnie.

The Minister for Environment and Rural Development told the Scottish Parliament:

        The policy in Scotland remains to stamp out confirmed cases as soon as possible – but a veterinary assessment may be made for cattle on contiguous premises;

        The position on livestock movements will be revised from May 1 if the current disease management situation is maintained;

        The Executive has already taken steps to issue guidance to relevant health and other interests to ensure that any risk to public health is minimised. Positive progress in dealing with the cull means that the burning of large pyres is being wound down in Scotland;

        The Executive has secured important concessions from the Europe on subsidy claims. We are also negotiating a range of other derogations and concessions; and

        The Executive is offering Quality Meat Scotland £180,000 towards a campaign to reassure consumers in Scotland that meat is as safe as ever to eat.

Mr Finnie said:

"The measures we have adopted in Scotland are making progress. It is hard to say that the difficulties are over – but the epidemic has turned the corner and there is a real prospect of sustained decline in the incidence of the disease.

"But this goal will only be achieved if we deploy sufficient resources to maintain active and effective control measures and farmers, hauliers, feed merchants and everyone else associated with farms maintains the strictest control measures. I simply cannot stress that too highly – we must remain vigilant and cannot allow any complacency to creep in.

"I believe the measures I have announced will continue to allow us to keep the disease under tight control. They depend on adequate veterinary resources being available and on a continuing decline in the incidence of disease. If that changes I reserve the right immediately to step up culling measures on contiguous farms in line with veterinary advice.

"In response to public health concerns, we have taken steps to issue guidance to relevant health and other interests to ensure that any risk to public health is minimised. Dumfries and Galloway Council have already undertaken monitoring of air quality and SEPA are monitoring surface and ground waters around the burial site at Birkshaw.

"As for larger burn sites, we have closed down Eastriggs and will close the one at Hoddam on 28 April. Any new site will take full account of the new guidance. All this is to be reinforced by additional monitoring arrangements to assess any potential health risk; and to ensure that there are no long term effects on food safety.

"I would like to re-emphasise my commitment to remove restrictions as swiftly as possible – providing I can do that without putting at risk the progress we have made to date in Scotland on dealing with the outbreak.

"We have also taken steps to measure the economic impact of the disease across sectors and regions. Firms have had the opportunity to phone us directly to tell us of the impact on their businesses. We have also commissioned a major survey to provide hard evidence of economic impacts again across all sectors and regions of Scotland. The final impact of course cannot be known until the disease has been eradicated and we can assess how quickly markets will recover.

"We have also begun to plan for longer term national strategies to assist industries and businesses recover from the effects of the disease – but this will take time if it is to be done properly. We want to ensure recovery strategies meet actual needs and I welcome the Recovery Plan presented to us by the Dumfries and Galloway Partnership last week.

"It is important that our work harnesses the contribution of local and national organisations. That is why I have established the Farm Business Steering Group in Dumfries and Galloway. We are now working closely with this group to address the short and longer term needs of the farming community in that area.

"I have also offered Quality Meat Scotland £180,000 towards a campaign to reassure consumers in Scotland that meat is as safe as ever to eat. We must work now to strengthen awareness of the facts surrounding FMD and eating meat. Scotland has some of the highest quality meat available anywhere in the world and we must product that message to Scottish consumers.

"I remain absolutely determined to ensure that this disease is completely stamped out and that Scotland can re-establish its livestock and tourism industries as soon as possible. One thing the disease has taught us is how closely intertwined these are in the rural economy. Our objective now is to work with local communities to rebuild those industries and the prosperity which can in turn be built on them."

BACKGROUND

SLAUGHTER POLICY
We will continue to ensure all susceptible livestock on farms where there are confirmed cases of infection are slaughtered within 24 hours after the farmer’s report;

We will continue to slaughter stock on farms where there is reasonable suspicion of disease, before disease has been proved. This is a vital pre-emptive control measure;

We will continue to slaughter stock on farms regarded as having had dangerous contact with the disease, on the basis of a clear veterinary assessment;

Given the high continuing risk that disease is circulating unseen in sheep, any sheep within 3km of an infected farm will be culled on the grounds that they may have been exposed to infection. We have established time and again in the last few weeks that the sheep cull is vital in bringing disease to light and dealing with it much more quickly than it would otherwise have been.

On farms which are contiguous to infected premises, sheep and pigs will continue to be taken. Cattle will be culled if there is a firm veterinary view that they are dangerous contacts or are suspected of being infected. In other cases, cattle will not be culled provided that the farmer demonstrates that he has and will maintain adequate biosecurity measures, has kept his cattle wholly separate from any sheep and is prepared to agree to regular examination of his cattle by veterinary patrols every 48 hours. This measure should significantly reduce the number of cattle that need to be culled. Only now that the firebreak is in place in Dumfries and Galloway and new cases have reduced do we have the resources to implement this alternative approach.

We will continue to consider the position of those rare breeds of sheep which appear on the Rare Breeds Survival Trust List. Wherever flocks are infected, they will be culled; and any such flocks within 3km of an infected place will also be culled. In the latter case, however, and subject to an individual veterinary assessment, a number of sheep may be retained in order to preserve the genetic material. It will need to be demonstrated through serological testing that they are free of disease and that appropriate biosecurity arrangements have been put in place.

We are not, however, prepared to agree to exempt hefted sheep from the 3km sheep cull. The fact that flocks in the Borders may in principle be hefted does not protect them from exposure to disease in the light of the way they are managed here.

PUBLIC HEALTH
In response to public health concerns, we have taken steps to issue guidance to relevant health and other interests to ensure that any risk to public health is minimised. Dumfries and Galloway Council have already undertaken monitoring of air quality and SEPA are monitoring surface and ground waters around the burial site at Birkshaw.

As for larger burn sites, we have closed down Eastriggs and will close the one at Hoddam on 28 April. Any new site will take full account of the new guidance. All this is to be reinforced by additional monitoring arrangements to assess any potential health risk; and to ensure that there are no long term effects on food safety.

LIVESTOCK MOVEMENTS
The outbreaks in Jedburgh and Wigtownshire meant that the Executive was not able as hoped to relax movements in mainland Scotland from 16 April. Subject to the present disease position being maintained, however, the following changes will be made from 1 May to reflect the improved disease position on the one hand, yet the need for measured caution on the other:

PROVISIONALLY FREE AREA
Farmers in the PFA will be permitted to move animals under general licence between farms which are under their own occupancy. There will be no distance qualification and no 21 day movement restriction will apply.

The movement of traded stock will continue to require an individual licence. The animals will be checked by a vet before moving and will be subject to a 21 day standstill period on their arrival at the receiving farm premises. There will no longer be the need to demonstrate welfare problems to qualify in either case.

On the mainland, away-wintered sheep will be allowed to return in batches i.e. within the same load to crofts and farms subject to a 21 day rule. Veterinary checks before embarkation and vehicle disinfection will be required. The movement of away wintered sheep back to the islands will also be subject to pre-load vet checks and disinfection but because of the particular circumstances on the islands a 21 day standstill will not be applied. The Crofters Commission supply bulls will therefore be able to move to the islands from 1 May.

The Executive is also prepared to allow the operation of collection centres in the PFA for fatstock only initially. In the islands these collection centres will be open to both fat and store stock.

THE AT RISK AREA
Individual licences will continue to apply in the ARA and longer distance movement will now be allowed under licence to ease conditions on ARA farms. There will also no longer be the need to demonstrate welfare problems. I am afraid however that because of the higher disease risk in Dumfries and Galloway and Borders long distance movements anywhere in these regions will not be authorised at this stage. This will be reviewed in mid-May.

MOVEMENT OF CATTLE FOR SLAUGHTER INTO THE PFA
The Executive will review the present policy which prohibits cattle movements to slaughter from the ARA into the PFA. Providing the disease situation permits, such movements could commence from mid-May.

DEER STALKING
The ban on stalking for deer in the ARA other than in the Dumfries and Galloway and Borders areas will be relaxed. The position for these areas will be re-considered in mid-May.

ECONOMIC IMPACT AND RECOVERY
We have taken action to measure the economic impact of the disease across sectors and regions. Firms have had the opportunity to phone us directly to tell us of the impact on their businesses. We have also commissioned a major survey to provide hard evidence of economic impacts again across all sectors and regions of Scotland. The final impact of course cannot be known until the disease has been eradicated and we can assess how quickly markets will recover.

We have also begun to plan for longer term national strategies to assist industries and businesses recover from the effects of the disease. This will take time if it is to be done properly.

It is important that our work harnesses the contribution of local and national organisations. That is why the Executive established the Farm Business Steering Group in Dumfries and Galloway. We are now working closely with this group to address the short and longer term needs of the farming community in that area.

The Executive has also written today to Neil Kilpatrick of Quality Meat Scotland to offer a contribution of £180,000 towards a campaign to reassure consumers in Scotland that meat is as safe as ever to eat. We must work now to strengthen awareness of the facts surrounding FMD and eating meat. Scotland has some of the highest quality meat available anywhere in the world and we must product that message to Scottish consumers.

IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE – IACS
On the more immediate question of what farmers should do in relation to subsidy claims for the coming year - and in particular to the fast approaching deadline of 15 May for the submission of IACS forms - we have secured some important concessions from the EU. While the 15 May date remains for submitting IACS forms, arrangements have been set in place to allow applicants to change their claims in relation to set-aside, and forage areas after the 15 May date. We are also negotiating with the EU a range of other derogations and concessions, mainly in relation to set-aside land. We will be including the details of both in letters to producers. Taken together with the force majeure arrangements already announced, considerable flexibility has now been built in to the subsidy arrangements for both the 2000 and 2001 years, with the promise of more yet to come.