The Government has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of
Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), following a case being confirmed in
Germany.
The import of cattle, pigs and sheep from Germany will now be
banned to protect farmers and their livelihoods. GB health
certificates will no longer be issued for animals susceptible to
FMD including all live animals and fresh meat.
The UK Chief Veterinary Officer is also urging livestock keepers
to remain vigilant to the clinical signs of FMD following a
confirmed case of the disease in Germany. There are no cases in
the UK currently.
FMD poses no risk to human or food safety, but is a highly
contagious viral disease of cattle, sheep, pigs and other
cloven-hoofed animals, livestock keepers should therefore be
absolutely rigorous about their biosecurity.
Maintaining good biosecurity is essential to protecting the
health and welfare of herds and critical to preventing the spread
of diseases such as FMD and preventing an outbreak spreading.
FMD causes significant economic losses due to production losses
in the affected animals as well as loss of access to foreign
markets for animals, meat and milk for affected countries.
Clinical signs to be aware of vary depending on the animals, but
in cattle the key signs are sores and blisters on the feet, mouth
and tongue with potentially a fever, lameness and a reluctance to
feed. In sheep and pigs signs tend to manifest with lameness with
potential for blistering. This
guidance page provides further details of symptoms to be
aware of.
UK Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Christine Middlemiss
said:
We remain in constant contact with German counterparts to
understand the latest situation following their confirmation of a
single case of Foot and Mouth disease.
We have robust contingency plans in place to manage the risk of
this disease to protect farmers and Britain's food security,
which means using all measures to limit the risk incursion and
spread of this devastating disease.
I would urge livestock keepers to exercise the upmost vigilance
for signs of disease, follow scrupulous biosecurity and report
any suspicion of disease immediately to the Animal and Plant
Health Agency.
Farming Minister said:
The Government will do whatever it takes to protect our nation's
farmers from the risk posed by Foot and Mouth.
That is why restrictions have immediately been brought in on
animal products from Germany to prevent an outbreak and we will
not hesitate to add additional countries to the list if the
disease spreads.
We will continue to keep the situation under review working
closely with the German authorities.
This comes as the Government announced a
£200 million investment in the UK's main research and
laboratory testing facilities at Weybridge to bolster protection
against animal disease.
Foot and Mouth Disease is a legally notifiable disease and must
be reported. If you suspect a notifiable disease in your animals
you must report it immediately by calling the Government
Helpline. Failure to do so is an offence.
The number to report a suspect case is:
· 03000 200 301 in England
· 0300 303 826 in Wales
If you are a keeper in Scotland then you should contact your
local Field Services Office to report suspicion of disease.
