Protecting animal health and preventing disease, including in trade
Issue
Preventing animal disease is important for animal health and welfare, but animal diseases including those of fish • and shellfish, can also be a risk to human health.
Serious disease outbreaks can be expensive. Depending on their severity, previous outbreaks of certain diseases, like Foot and Mouth disease, have cost between £2 million and £3 billion, with knock-on economic effects.
Diseases also have longer-term economic and social effects, for example, on farmers trying to do business, including trading animals and animal products.
Imports and exports of animals and animal products are important for the UK economy. However, they need to be controlled because they can also carry a risk of disease.
Farmers and other animal keepers play a vital part in helping to prevent disease, reporting diseases when they occur and stopping them from spreading.
Actions
Defra is responsible for controlling certain animal diseases when they happen, and also helping to advise farmers and other people who keep animals on how to prevent disease. It’s important that diseased animals don’t enter or leave the country, that livestock movements are controlled and traceable, and that disease doesn’t enter the food chain.
Preventing animal diseases
To help prevent animal disease, we’re:
• enforcing strict rules on identification and recording of livestock and horses, and the reporting of livestock movements - keepers must register the premises where they keep livestock and comply with the rules for their particular species
• making movement reporting simple and straightforward through new electronic reporting systems for cattle and pigs, and plans for a system for sheep, goats and deer from April 2014
• making sure that animal by-products are safely handled, used and disposed of
• controlling and certifying import and export trade in animals and animal products to ensure that they do not introduce disease into the UK or to other countries
• helping and advising farmers and other people who keep animals on how to reduce the risk of animal disease, and what to do if they see signs of disease
• enforcing strict rules on travel with pets
• preventing and controlling disease in fish and shellfish
Controlling animal diseases
We’re responsible for controlling certain diseases when they happen. Different diseases are dealt with in different ways, including:
• legal requirements to notify the Animal and Plant Health Agency or the Fish Health Inspectorate (as appropriate) if you suspect certain diseases
• monitoring and testing for disease
• controls to stop disease being spread if it’s detected, which can include slaughtering animals
EU law requires all member states to have specific controls on certain diseases.
Monitoring disease outbreaks and funding research
We’re funding research on animal diseases, so we can build policies on a good scientific evidence base.
We’re also monitoring major animal disease outbreaks worldwide, to check whether they pose a risk to the UK, and to raise awareness.
Working with professional bodies involved in animal disease
We’re working with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and other bodies to find ways to modernise and bring their working methods in line with other regulated professions.
Background
Much of the work we do in all aspects of animal health is governed by EU law and implemented by national rules. For example, EU law requires member states to run disease control programmes for some diseases (like salmonella in poultry), and monitor trends for others.
In 2002, the EU introduced a regulation to control the use and disposal of animal by-products. This was in response to a number of crises in animal and public health in which animal by-products were implicated, including Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (known as mad cow disease) and Foot and Mouth disease. The regulation was reviewed and updated in 2011.
The EU also introduced specific rules on identifying and registering the various species or animals, which were then set out in national legislation.
Who we’re working with
The Animal Health and Welfare Board for England (AHWBE) for England makes direct recommendations to Ministers on policy affecting the health and welfare of all kept animals, such as farm animals, horses and pets.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is the executive agency with responsibility for many areas relating to animal health and diseases, including inspection and surveillance.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for food safety and food hygiene across the UK. They work with local authorities to enforce food safety regulations, including regulations on animal by-products.
UK exports of animals and animal products are facilitated and imports are controlled by our work with the AHVLA, the FSA, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), port health authorities and local authorities.
Defra provides secretariat support for the UK Zoonoses, Animal Diseases and Infections Group (UKZADI), which advises government on important trends that might affect animal or human health.
Defra, the Health and Safety Executive and the Department of Health are jointly responsible for the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens.
The Environment Agency investigates fish mortalities caused by poor environmental conditions, pollution and fish disease in fisheries and the wild. It also carries out other tasks on fish health including health checks, monitoring and surveillance to manage disease risks and ensuring good fishery management.
The Fish Health Inspectorate is responsible for the control of serious diseases in fish and shellfish, including inspection and surveillance
We also work with a number of other committees, including:
• Advisory Committee on Animal Feedstuffs (ACAF)
• Human Animal Infections Risk Surveillance (HAIRS)
• Epidemiology of Foodborne Infections Group (EFIG)
• Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF)
• Chemical Hazard and Identification and Risk Surveillance (CHaIRS)
• Defra Antimicrobial Resistance Co-ordination Group (DARC)
Bills and legislation
Disease controls
Legislation to control animal diseases includes the Animal Health Act 1981, as amended, and there are also other national Orders made.
Find details of relevant EU and national legislation for individual notifiable diseases.
Animal pathogens
There are laws and regulations about laboratory containment and import of animal pathogens (anything that can cause disease, such as a virus).
Defra administers these laws, the Importation of Animal Pathogens Order 1980 (as amended) and the Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO) (England) 2008.
We provide forms and guidance on animal pathogens.
Animal by-products
The EU Animal By-Products Regulation 1069/2009, and accompanying EU Implementing Regulation 142/2011, set the rules for how animal by-products must be handled, used, transported and disposed of in the UK.
In England the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations No.2011/881 enforce the requirements of the EU regulations. Similar legislation applies in the rest of the UK.
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966
The Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 regulates veterinary surgeons and also those who carry out minor procedures that are classified as acts of veterinary surgery under Section 19 (4) (e) of the Act.
Case studies
• DFID Research: Protecting African cattle from killer disease
A vaccine against East coast fever is being mass-produced to protect cattle and the livelihoods of African farmers
From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP
Minister of State for Agriculture and Food
Animal Health and Welfare Board for England
Farm Animal Genetic Resources Committee
Animal and Plant Health Agency