Veterinary Surveillance Strategy
The
strategy
The 10 year UK Veterinary Surveillance Strategy
(226 KB)
was launched on 22 October 2003. It describes how we plan to work in partnership
with others to provide earlier warning and more rapid detection of disease
threats facing the UK. By putting the principles outlined in the strategy
into practice, we will ensure surveillance activities are prioritised
openly and that we have a clear, well defined international evidence base
for all surveillance reports and recommendations. We will also be able
to make better use of the surveillance information that is collected.
The strategy draws from extensive consultation across the UK, both with colleagues in Government and also with the veterinary, farming and wildlife sectors. It is an integral part of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy launched in June 2004.
Why it is needed
The UK has a strong track record in veterinary surveillance. However, there are a number of reasons why the current approach to surveillance needs to be improved. These include:
- costly and damaging animal-associated disease problems, including the emergence of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and the 2001 outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD);
- independent inquiries into BSE and FMD, which concluded that surveillance could and should be improved;
- globalisation means future disease threats are more likely;
- new diseases will continue to occur, and
- ensuring the public money invested in surveillance delivers best value for the taxpayer.
The strategy’s vision of the future
The strategy seeks to deliver a future where the risk of significant damage to human health, animal health and the rural economy is reduced by the provision of faster and better informed disease control measures. A future where we can identify emerging risks faster and assess their potential impact more accurately because our surveillance activity is fully justified, open, transparent, effectively prioritised and founded on surveillance of known quality.
Getting there
For the first time, we have now mapped a way forward to enhance veterinary surveillance that is overwhelmingly endorsed by surveillance partners. The approach focuses around 5 goals: to
- strengthen collaboration with stakeholders;
- develop a prioritisation process;
- derive better value from surveillance information and activities;
- share information more widely, and
- enhance the quality assurance of surveillance outputs.
In practice this will lead to:
- veterinary surveillance activity being prioritised in an open and clear way so limited resources are put to best use;
- easy access to surveillance data and reports. The quality and the authenticity of these reports will be clear and it will be possible to produce them in a range of formats
- wide ranging and up-to-date information on specific diseases and conditions through a database of profiles on diseases.
- better co-ordination of the expertise of both private and state vets who are those closest to disease on the ground, and
- more projects taken forward in partnership between those who have an interest in veterinary surveillance.
The strategy document and other helpful papers
More detailed information is available from the following sources:
- The UK Veterinary Surveillance Strategy
(226
KB) document sets out a 10 year vision of the future and maps how that
future will be realised. The front cover
(397 KB)
is available separately for easier download.
- A summary leaflet
(239 KB) captures the strategy’s key themes.
- The latest Progress report
(184 KB) keeps interested parties up-to-date
with developments.
- The Animal Health and Welfare Strategy provides the strategic framework within which the Veterinary Surveillance Strategy operates.
- The consultation document
(772 KB) published in 2002 provides more detail on the thinking behind
the new strategy.
- Analysis of responses to the consultation excercise
(289 KB)
confirms overwhelming support for the approach presented in the strategy
document.
- A Regulatory Impact Assessment
(209 KB) outlines the strategy’s impact on businesses.
Further information about the launch of the strategy can also be found
on the websites of the devolved administrations:
- Welsh Assembly Government Department for Environment, Planning and Countryside
- Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD)
- Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Ireland (DARDNI)
Related information
- What the Veterinary Surveillance Strategy will do for you identifies who can benefit from the strategy and what those benefits could be.
- Progress implementing the Veterinary Surveillance Strategy explains how the strategy is being put into action and describes some of the work being done under each of the goals.
- Getting involved describes how different interests are represented on the implementation of the strategy.
- Glossary
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Page last reviewed:
September 17, 2008
Page last modified:
September 17, 2008