The UK Government has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), following a case being confirmed in Germany.
The commercial import of cattle, pigs, sheep, deer, buffaloes and their products such as meat, and dairy from Germany will now be banned to protect farmers and their livelihoods. GB health certificates will no longer be issued for animals susceptible to FMD including all live animals and fresh meat and animal products.
As of 15 January it is no longer permitted for travellers to bring unpackaged meat, meat products, milk and dairy products, certain composite products and animal by products of pigs and ruminants into Great Britain from the EU, EFTA states, Faroe Islands and Greenland. Additionally, these products may not be brought to Great Britain from Germany, even if commercially packaged. These products can be placed in the secure bins provided in ports and airports.
NFU Scotland’s Livestock Committee Vice-Chair, John Ritchie said; “Livestock producers are rightly concerned that there has been a confirmed case of foot and mouth (FMD) in Germany. 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.
“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 shaped our robust livestock traceability systems we use as part of our daily business. We are confident as a sector that surveillance systems are effective.
“Through surveillance and collaborative working, the isolated case in Germany, has seen Government restrictions put in place with bans on importing cattle, pork, sheep and products of animal origin from Germany, which is welcomed news. NFU Scotland has long called for tighter border security on all food imports, and we need these to be robust and enforced without fail. It is likely that some retailers who rely on imported products will be noticing the impact of the current restrictions more than others.
“We are asking our members to maintain strict on-farm biosecurity measures, comply with the swill feeding ban, report of all suspicions of notifiable diseases promptly and ensure they get proper diagnosis of any livestock presenting symptoms. Quickly recognising clinical signs of the disease in livestock is vital to controlling and preventing it from spreading. In cattle and pigs the signs of disease are usually readily seen; however, sheep do not always show obvious clinical signs and sheep farmers should be particularly vigilant.”
The UK Chief Veterinary Officer is also urging livestock keepers to remain vigilant to the clinical signs of FMD following an outbreak of the disease in Germany. There are no cases in the UK currently.
FMD poses no risk to human or food safety, but is a highly contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals. Livestock keepers should therefore be absolutely rigorous about their biosecurity.
Maintaining good biosecurity is essential to protecting the health and welfare of herds and critical to preventing the spread of diseases such as FMD and preventing an outbreak spreading.
FMD causes significant economic losses due to production losses in the affected animals as well as loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and milk for affected countries.
Clinical signs to be aware of vary depending on the animals, but in cattle the key signs are sores and blisters on the feet, mouth and tongue with potentially a fever, lameness and a reluctance to feed. In sheep and pigs signs tend to manifest with lameness with potential for blistering. This guidance page provides further details of symptoms to be aware of.
UK Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Christine Middlemiss said:
We remain in constant contact with German counterparts to understand the latest situation following their confirmation of a single case of Foot and Mouth disease.
We have robust contingency plans in place to manage the risk of this disease to protect farmers and Britain’s food security, which means using all measures to limit the risk incursion and spread of this devastating disease.
I would urge livestock keepers to exercise the upmost vigilance for signs of disease, follow scrupulous biosecurity and report any suspicion of disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Everyone can help stop animal diseases spreading to this country by not bringing home meat, cheese and milk products when they travel abroad.
Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said:
The Government will do whatever it takes to protect our nation’s farmers from the risk posed by Foot and Mouth.
That is why restrictions have immediately been brought in on animal products from Germany to prevent an outbreak and we will not hesitate to add additional countries to the list if the disease spreads.
We will continue to keep the situation under review working closely with the German authorities.
This comes as the Government announced a £200 million investment in the UK’s main research and laboratory testing facilities at Weybridge to bolster protection against animal disease.
Foot and Mouth Disease is a legally notifiable disease and must be reported. If you suspect a notifiable disease in your animals you must report it immediately by calling the Government Helpline. Failure to do so is an offence.
The number to report a suspect case is:
· 03000 200 301 in England
· 0300 303 826 in Wales
If you are a keeper in Scotland then you should contact your local Field Services Office to report suspicion of disease.
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