Changes have been made to the control of bacterial kidney disease (BKD) in Great Britain which will affect fish farms.

In February 2011 the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Scottish Government approved a new strategy to control BKD through domestic control measures.

These new measures replace existing national controls that have been in place since 2004. A further extension to EU national control measures for BKD will not be pursued when these are reviewed by the European Commission in 2011.

The major elements of the new domestic control programme are:

• BKD will remain a notifiable disease in Great Britain
• Statutory controls will only be applied when clinical disease is evident
• Clinical outbreaks of BKD will be controlled through movement controls on affected sites
• Certain live fish movements will be permitted from sites post clinical outbreak
• There will be no routine targeted surveillance on fish farms for BKD
• Health attestations on health certificates for imports of ova and live fish of BKD susceptible species for intra-Community and third country trade will no longer be a required.
• The Fish Health Inspectorate will support farms seeking approved compartment status for BKD freedom through the provision of advice, and an appropriate sampling and diagnostic testing service

These changes to BKD controls have been made following extensive consultations with stakeholders and industry representatives through the UK National BKD group, chaired by Professor Randolph Richards of the University of Stirling.

The domestic control measures will be reviewed 12 months after the implementation of the new regime.

For further information please contact the Fish Health Inspectorate.