Investigations into Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak published
| This news story was last substantively updated on 7 September 2007. For later news on this story please see Defra's news story index and/or the Foot and Mouth Disease website. |
Defra has today published reports from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Professor Brian Spratt, of Imperial College London, into the recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Surrey, together with the Government’s response, accepting in full the recommendations made in both reports.
In particular, Defra is taking the following steps:
- Put in place new requirements for IAH and Merial to ensure that all waste is sterilised within a high containment area;
- Establish improvement plans setting out the action which both IAH and Merial must take, which will be subject to inspections;
- Revise guidance and licence conditions on access to restricted sites;
- Require other relevant laboratories, through HSE and Defra safety alerts, to satisfy themselves that their own facilities and procedures address all the issues identified in these reports;
- Establish a review of the regulatory framework for animal pathogens led by Sir Bill Callaghan, which will also address the position of Defra as regulator, licensor and inspector of SAPO 4 regulation and as a major customer of animal pathogens research and diagnostics;
- A review of funding, governance and risk management at the Pirbright site.
A further epidemiological report has also been published.
The Chief Veterinary Officer, Debby Reynolds, announced that she was satisfied that Foot and Mouth Disease had now been eradicated from Surrey.
The 10km Surveillance Zone, together with the remaining restrictions outside the Surveillance Zone, will be lifted at noon on Saturday 8 September.
Further information
Reports and Government response
Foot and mouth disease website
Page published: 7 September 2007 12:40