Consultation on Contingency Plan for Exotic Disease of Animals 2009

30 June 2009

Dear Consultee,

Consultation on 2009 Annual Review of Defra’s Contingency Plan for Exotic Diseases of Animals

The Animal Health Act 2002 requires that the contingency plans for Foot and Mouth Disease, Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease are reviewed annually, and where appropriate updated, before being laid before Parliament.

To meet this requirement, Defra has begun an annual review of its Contingency Plan for Exotic Diseases of Animals, comprising the Framework Response Plan which outlines the roles, responsibilities, systems and structures in place for responding to an outbreak of animal disease, and an Overview of Emergency Preparedness which provides more detailed information relating to our work on preparing for emergencies and the operational arrangements for response.

The plan covers arrangements for responding to outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease, Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease, but would also form the basis for response in the event of an outbreak of other notifiable exotic diseases of animals. 

The plan was last laid before Parliament on 9 December 2008.  The main changes from this version, made as part of the current review are attached.

Section 14A of the Animal Health act requires that organisations representative of those with an interest in the arrangements be consulted on national contingency plans.

To meet this requirement, I am pleased to invite you to provide comment on this revised version of the plan.  The consultation package can be viewed in PDF form together with the relevant documents:

www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/animaldisease-plan2009/index.htm

The package comprises:

Hard copies of the documents will be made available upon request.  You should be aware that the Framework Response Plan is 145 pages long (including cover and index) and the Overview of Emergency Preparedness is 73 pages long (including cover and index).

Your views are invited on any aspect of the contingency plan.  The consultation period closes on 21 September 2009.

Additionally, to help us to review the style of the plan for future years, would particularly welcome comments on the current format, style and size of the document: 

  • Does this plan help you to plan for an outbreak of exotic disease of animals?
  • Does it need more or less detail?
  • Is there any aspect of the document which you think is unnecessary?
  • Is there any aspect of the disease control process which, from your experience, is not covered?

This document is issued by Animal Health on behalf of Defra for England only, although Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland develop similar plans which reflect and compliment these arrangements within the Devolved Administration structures.  These plans are also made available to interested parties.

Responses

E-mail responses are preferred, in the interests of sustainability, and can be sent to:

Or, you may send hard copy responses by post to:

Lyndsey Strang
Animal Health
Contingency Planning Division
Area 5C, Nobel House
17 Smith Square
LONDON SW1P 3JR

A list of consultees is available as part of the consultation package.  If you are aware of any other organisation or individual who would like to participate in this consultation please let Lyndsey Strang know so that they can be invited to participate in this, or future reviews.  The full consultation package can be viewed online.

We would be grateful if you could let us know if you do not wish to be included in future consultations.

In future years, we would like to reduce the amount of paper used during this consultation exercise.  For this purpose we would be very grateful if you could send us details of an e-mail address at which you can be contacted.  Hard copies will remain available on request.

Transparency Policy

In line with Defra’s policy of openness, at the end of the consultation period copies of the responses we receive may be made available publicly through the Defra Information Resource Centre, Lower Ground Floor, Ergon House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR.  The information they contain may also be published in a summary of responses.

If you do not consent to this then you must clearly request that your response be treated confidentially.  Any confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system in e-mail responses will not be treated as such a request.  You should also be aware that there might be circumstances in which Defra is required to communicate information to third parties on request.  In order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations.

Defra’s Information Resource Centre will supply copies of consultations to personal callers or in response to telephone or e-mail requests (tel: 020 7238 6575, e-mail: defra.library@defra.gsi.gov.uk).  Wherever possible, personal callers should give the library at least 24 hours notice of their requirements.  An administrative charge will be made to cover photocopying and postage costs.

Comments or complaints about the consultation process (as opposed to comments about the Framework Response or Overview documents themselves) should be directed to Marjorie Addo, the Departmental Consultation Coordinator at Room 7C, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1 3JR, or by e-mail: consultation.coordinator@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Yours faithfully

Lyndsey Strang
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
 

Page published: 30 June 2009