Veterinary surveillance: The Wildlife Health Strategy
Diseases
of wildlife have a role in new and emerging diseases that can pose a risk
to the health of humans and animals, wildlife conservation and economic
productivity.
To allow us to manage this potential risk the Government is developing a new strategy looking at the health of wildlife. This strategy is to be implemented across England.
The Wildlife Health Strategy will help to implement the wildlife elements of the Veterinary Surveillance Strategy, which is an integral part of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy, launched in June 2004.
The Animal Health and Welfare Strategy gave four reasons against which Government intervention in animal health and welfare must be considered. These are:
- To protect human health
- To protect and promote the welfare of animals
- To protect the interests of the wider economy, environment and society
- To protect international trade
In the early stages of planning the project board and stakeholders identified that the Wildlife Health Strategy needs to go further than these four reasons for intervention and also consider 'to protect biodiversity and threatened species'.
- Why is a Wildlife Health Strategy needed?
- What wildlife will the Strategy cover?
- What will the Strategy bring for the future?
- How can I get involved?
Why is a Wildlife Health Strategy needed?
The Wildlife Health Strategy will help to develop a strategic approach to wildlife health in order to balance wildlife and other interested appropriately. The Strategy will also help to coordinate and prioritise policy and intervention in a consistent manner. Actions can be implemented from improved knowledge and understanding of wildlife diseases and their impacts. Awareness and concerns relating to wildlife disease issues has increased and the Strategy will respond to this.
The Strategy also fits into other activities carried out within Defra for example Biodiversity action plans and the Non Native Species Framework.'
The Strategy aims to identify, assess and manage wildlife issues in order to:
- Reduce risks to human health.
- Reduce the risk of negative impacts on agreed biodiversity targets and objectives.
- Reduce the risks of disease transmission from wildlife to livestock and companion animals and to reduce the risks of disease reservoirs being established in wildlife populations.
- Reduce the risks of the introduction, emergence and spread of new diseases in the UK.
- Reduce the risk of negative impacts on international trade and disease free status.
What wildlife will the Strategy cover?
We will look at wildlife within the UK for example:
- Mammals such as foxes and squirrels,
- Wild birds,
- Reptiles such as snakes,
- Amphibians such as frogs,
- Fish (not farmed), and
- Invertebrate species such as bees and crickets.
We will not be looking at domesticated wildlife.
What will the Strategy bring for the future?
By implementing the Strategy there are a number of benefits that we will see.
- The benefits described in the Veterinary Surveillance Strategy with reference to wildlife species.
- Policies are in place to ensure suitably trained personnel at all levels, to provide the skills and expertise required to deliver the Wildlife Health Strategy.
- Clearly defined responsibilities for wildlife health issues with informed policy development and input provided from all relevant stakeholders.
- Systems for the evaluation of requirements for contingency plans and emergency response programs for dealing with outbreaks of disease in wildlife species and impacts of disease control on wildlife.
- Wildlife disease risk assessments, impact assessments and cost/benefit analysis in order to support wildlife health, prioritisation, decision-making and policy development within available resource.
- Partnerships established both within and outside government, to share information, resource and expertise between wildlife workers in order to maximise value from expenditure and avoid duplication.
- A prioritised and coordinated wildlife disease research program.
- Centralised co-ordination of wildlife health technical support to ensure effective communication and collaboration.
- Processes to assess and address risks from animal movements through re-introduction, rehabilitation and importation.
How can I get involved?
Public Consultation: More details on how to get involved including the Consultation document and Summary of Responses to the consultation are available here.
Page last reviewed: 22 August 2008
Page last modified: 21 May, 2007