Animal Health and Welfare Stakeholder Meeting

Tail docking – Bev Williams
Spaniels and Retrievers that are working dogs is the concern.
No benefit in moving more than one third. Cabinet Secretary to respond to the scientific evidence.

Welfare issues – Bev Williams
Welfare certificates of competence was raised by SAMW. Cost of certification was a concern but not yet agreed.

Transport – Andrew Voas
Issue over journey time in markets. Suggest markets are approved domestic assembly centres. IAAS were unaware of the paper produced. This would only take Scotland to the same level of compliance as in Europe which sounded woolier and solved with a simplistic arrangement.
Road Hauliers are willing to pay for upgrading cleaning and disinfecting facilities at abattoirs in Scotland. Time it takes at abattoirs, size and number of vehicles are the issues. As long as facilities exist that means legislation is being achieved but often these facilities are not fit for the purpose of the hauliers.

TB – Martyn Blissitt
Year end figures suggest Scotland remains TB free.
7 of the 10 cases were attributable to circumstances outside Scotland. Trends – 2000 fewer cattle herds than we had 10 years ago! No evidence of wildlife emergence of TB and no real trend in Scotland. South of the border trend is that the number of reactors is downward.

“‹”‹Cumbrian tracings – Martyn Blissitt
There has been a TB breakdown on a high profile farm in Cumbria. 123 pedigree dairy cattle from a larger herd were sold in Cheshire on 28 February. These were much sought after cattle that were desirable and ended up going widespread. There was no previous testing for TB because of TB Cumbria being low incidence area. 158 cattle have been traced, all have been tested and as a result of the testing there are 34 breakdown farms including nine in Scotland concerning 17 cattle, 8 were reactors.
Imperative to safeguard Scottish herds and testing whether pre or post movement. Some breed societies and Royal Highland Show have pre movement testing. Consensus that this proves that Scotland needs to protect itself with particular reference to dispersal sales. Scottish Government would develop a procedure for more testing.

A bison herd in Scotland 40 to 50 animals has been slaughter because of TB reactors.

“‹EU Animal Health Regulation – Derek Wilson
Attempting to take 40 pieces of legislation and make them into one.

Bovine EID – Nick Ambrose
New EU regulation means that electronic tags, online holding database and potential for the abolition of cattle passports. Nigel Miller stressed that we really need to move this on but IT system is limited. Ian Anderson supported Nigel suggesting that the savings to BCMS be used to finance the new system.

Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma (OPA) update – Dr David Griffiths of Moredun.
Lung disease in sheep was discussed at length.

Other items discussed included EID risk assessment, EPIC update, AHVLA update, Dog fouling campaign.

Bluetongue – Martyn Blissitt
UK classed as low. No new cases in Northern Europe, basically returned to where it came from i.e. Mediterranean countries.

Surveillance report update- Jill Thomson
A run down was given on occurrences of various animal diseases most of which had names that are not well known. Outbreaks of FMD have been reported in Tunisia.

Date of next meeting TBA.