All Scottish livestock producers, whether they keep cattle, sheep or pigs, will be hugely concerned that there has been another confirmed case of foot and mouth (FMD) in mainland Europe and will look to the Government to double down on the nation’s border control measures.
NFU Scotland stated “Confirmation of a case on a large livestock farm in Hungary, the nation’s first confirmed case in fifty years, follows on from a case in Germany at the start of the year.
“This is a highly contagious disease that has the potential to destroy herds and businesses – at the very worst wipeout the livestock sector completely. It is important to stress there is no danger to humans or food safety nor is this disease present anywhere in the UK but its presence in Europe will send a chill through the livestock industry here.
“We have not seen foot and mouth disease in Scotland since 2001 but those who lived through that period of time cannot forget the devastation and toll it took on farming communities. We do not wish to see that ever occurring again. While farmers live with the constant threat of disease returning to these shores, lessons learnt from the past have helped shape the robust livestock traceability systems that we use as part of our daily business. We are confident as a sector that surveillance systems are effective. These systems were tested in full last week with the false FMD alert at Exeter Market.
“We understand that Chief Veterinary Officers from across the UK are in discussions on protocols including tracings from any recent movements from Hungary and a ban on importing cattle, pork, sheep and products of animal origin from Hungary must follow.
“NFU Scotland has long called for tighter border security on all food imports, and we need these to be robust and enforced without fail. Illegal meat imports continue to flood into this country at an alarming rate. Only last week, in evidence to a Westminster committee, Dover Port Health Authority confirmed that 22 tonnes of illegal meat were seized at the port in January alone (see: https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/136191/pdf/ )
“We are asking our members to maintain strict on-farm biosecurity measures, comply with the swill feeding ban, report all suspicions of notifiable diseases promptly and ensure they get proper diagnosis of any livestock presenting symptoms. Being vigilant and quickly recognising clinical signs of the disease in livestock is vital to controlling and preventing it from spreading if, in the worst-case scenario, the disease was ever to breach our borders again.
“But Government must also play its part by building robust, reliable border controls that the nation’s farmers can trust to keep us disease-free.”
