Foot and Mouth Review

In his review of Scotland's response to the 2007 outbreaks in Surrey, Professor Jim Scudamore found that “the Scottish Government handled the outbreak well and that their actions were in the best interests of the Scottish industry to ensure the return to normal conditions as quickly as possible.”

He praised the “dedication” of the Scottish Government and other organisations including the Animal Health agency, the Meat Hygiene Service and local authorities. Key industry stakeholders and the agricultural sector as a whole were commended for their role in reducing the risk of disease incursion and spread.

Professor Jim Scudamore said:

“I found both the national authorities and the agricultural community in Scotland to have responded well to disease being confirmed within Great Britain .

“This review will go a long way to help Scotland further reduce risk and minimise disruption should disease re-occur.”

Commenting on the report, Richard Lochhead Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, said:

“The Scottish farming industry, the Government and its agencies presented a united front in the battle against FMD last year and I am pleased to see that this has been recognised.

“The outbreaks came at a critical time for Scotland's livestock industry and red meat sector with movement restrictions preventing animals being taken to market and leaving sheep and lambs on the hillsides when grazing was running low. It was crucial that this disruption was minimised.

“Adopting a science-based approach where decisions were taken on the independent, expert advice provided by vets and scientists was instrumental in getting things back to normal as quickly as possible. This was important to address the unique Scottish situation.

“Of course every disease outbreak brings its own lessons to be learned. This outbreak was no different and we will take on board the important issues raised.

“I intend to take forward with industry the report's recommendation that we work with the EU and UK Governments to examine the complexities of regionalisation to ensure Scotland's export status is maintained should an outbreak occur again. This was something I raised with Brussels last summer and the review highlights the need to give it further consideration.

“A review of the arrangements which Scotland and England have over animal health and welfare issues and their delivery is also needed. The time is right to conduct such a review to ensure the arrangements meet our ambitions for a robust and healthy future for the livestock sector in Scotland. We will take this forward alongside the recommendations in this report.”

NOTES FOR NEWS EDITORS

1. The FMD Review (Scotland) 2007 was commissioned by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment to review the Scottish response to the FMD outbreaks last year. The review aimed to examine the response and identify lessons to be learned to help reduce the risk and associated economic disruption to Scotland for future outbreaks.

2. The review was led by Professor Jim Scudamore, a former Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for the UK and Assistant CVO Scotland. He was joined by John Ross, Chairman of the Moredun Foundation, during the evidence-gathering phase to bring an industry perspective to the interview process.

3. Additional background papers and reviews were commissioned by the Scottish Government to explore specific issues in depth. The FMD Review and each report are published separately on the Scottish Government website: www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2008/06/23130049/0

4. An independent review into the UK Government's response to the FMD outbreaks was commissioned by the Prime Minister. Sir Iain Anderson chaired this review which was published in March 2008. This is available on the Cabinet Office website: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/fmdreview.aspx

5. FMD REVIEW (SCOTLAND) 2007 – OVERVIEW OF RECOMMENDATIONS

The review makes a total of 55 recommendations for improvement grouped under five key areas and categorised as high, medium and low priority. These are:

Disease preparedness (22 recommendations, five high priority). Includes the development of a risk hierarchy for priority movements and veterinary risk assessments to underpin this. Various aspects of movement controls and disease strategy are identified for review while the need for timely economic, scientific and veterinary advice is stressed. The need for fit for purpose systems for recording animal movements across GB is highlighted. A review of the FMD Contingency Plan is recommended in light of the lessons learned and the findings of the independent analysis and evaluation conducted by Analytic Red.

Regionalisation (13 recommendations, five high priority). A significant part of the review is devoted to the discussion of Regionalisation, given its potential role in minimising disruption in the event of an FMD outbreak. The Scottish Government needs to work with other UK Administrations and the Commission on a number of issues to ensure regionalisation can provide the widest set of options possible. This includes ensuring there are a single well defined set of terms in place ready for use, rules on movements between zones are clarified and criteria for moving down the risk chain as quickly as possible are identified. Other high priority recommendations include working up a number of scenarios and analysing the implications and potential impact of regionalisation so that government and stakeholders can agree on how regionalisation would be handled in the future.

Relationships with UK Government Departments (12 recommendations, four high priority). Critical areas of work include fostering improved levels of co-operation and co-ordination based on up-to-dated mutually agreed concordats. These should clarify areas of responsibility and service delivery including funding arrangements. Agreeing a protocol for respecting confidentiality and promoting the open sharing of information is also suggested as high priority along with reviewing Scottish Government Ministers' and officials' involvement at COBR.

Relationships with the EU (four recommendations, two high priority). These include developing a protocol for formal representation at SCoFCAH and possibly extending this to EU Council and Commission meetings as well. The need to agree a UK line for EU negotiations is also addressed and an arbitration process for resolving any issues identified as being necessary.

Communications with stakeholders (four recommendations, one high priority). Communications are identified as being strong but the Communications Strategy must be updated to take into account the recommendations made. Other areas for improvement include making the best use of technology and ensuring maximum distribution of information that meets the needs of all interested parties.

Contact: Elaine Mitchell: 0131 244 2560

Attachments:

• FMD Review (Scotland) 2007 (PDF).pdf