INFORMATION BULLETIN
Date: 2 April 2008
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Specified Animal Pathogens Order 2008
Legislation has been placed in Parliament today, in line with the recommendations of the review of the regulatory framework for handling animal pathogens led by Sir Bill Callaghan. The Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO) has been amended to provide a legal basis for the formal transfer of the inspection and enforcement role for this legislation from Defra, the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and local authorities to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The legislation comes into effect on 28 April. Responsibility for licensing premises under SAPO will remain with Defra. Anyone wishing to make an application for a licence should do so by completing the application form at
www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/pathogens/index.htm
SAPO-licensed premises are facilities that work with infectious animal diseases such as foot and mouth and bluetongue. In his December 2007 report into the regulatory framework for SAPO-licensed premises, Sir Bill Callaghan recommended a phased approach to changing this regulatory framework. This included the transfer of responsibility for inspecting and enforcing SAPO to the HSE.
Defra has been working closely with the HSE to implement the recommendations from Sir Callaghan’s review, which followed the Foot and Mouth disease outbreak of 2007.
Notes to editors
- On 7 September 2007 Hilary Benn announced that the Government had asked Sir Bill Callaghan to lead a review of the regulatory framework for animal pathogens, as recommended by the Health and Safety Executive in its “Final report on potential breaches of biosecurity at the Pirbright site 2007”.
- Hilary Benn also announced that the review would consider the position of Defra as regulator, licensor and inspector of SAPO facilities and as a major customer of animal pathogens research and diagnostics, following recommendations made by Professor Brian Spratt in his “Independent review of the safety of UK facilities handling foot-and-mouth disease virus”.
- Sir Bill published his report on 13 December 2007.
- The Callaghan Review recommended a three-phased approach to implementing changes to strengthen the regulatory framework for controlling animal pathogens:
- phase 1 - Defra and HSE formalised HSE’s support of the Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO) inspections;
- phase 2 – changes to SAPO regulations to designate HSE as inspection and lead enforcement body under the Order;
- phase 3: develop options for a single regulatory framework to govern work with human and animal pathogens.
End
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Page published: 2 April 2008