UK Resilience
The lead department is Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) [External website]. In Scotland, the Scottish Executive[External website] is the lead department.
This section deals with emergencies which pose a risk to the health of animal and plant life. It explains the nature of the risk, and includes links to relevant guidance and organisations.
On this page:
The outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) in 2000 has reminded us all of the very serious impact of animal disease. Following the outbreak, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) [External website] has worked hard to better guard against such an outbreak ever happening again.
A new Animal Health Act, ongoing contingency planning exercises and a detailed contingency plan have been established to ensure that we can better contain and control any future outbreak.
In 2001 the UK Government succeeded in controlling the largest outbreak of FMD ever known in around 32 weeks. The whole of Great Britain was declared 'FMD-free' without vaccination by the Office Internationale des Epizooties (OIE) on 22 January 2002. Foot and mouth disease is not, though, the only animal health hazard of concern in the UK.
Animal health hazards can be broadly split into two categories - animal diseases are those that can be transmitted between (or are shared by) animals and humans (known as zoonotic) and those that are not transferable (known as non-zoonotic).
The non-zoonotic diseases that underpin the central UK Government's contingency planning assessments are Foot and Mouth Disease, Classical Swine Fever, Blue Tongue and the Newcastle Disease of birds. Zoonotic animal diseases that underpin the central Government's local hazard assessment are outbreaks of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), rabies and the West Nile Virus.
The table below shows some examples of the specific risks which are assessed as part of the national risk assessment framework. The framework applies locally, regionally, in the devolved administrations and at the UK level. Details of the framework and risk assessment methodology can be found in the risk section of this site.
| Type of Risk | Risk Categories | Outcome Description for Planning Purposes |
|---|---|---|
| Hazard | Non-zoonotic notifiable animal diseases (e.g. Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Classical Swine Fever, Blue Tongue and Newcastle disease of birds). | Slaughter of up to 4 million affected and exposed livestock plus the possibility of a significant number of animals culled for welfare reasons. For poultry the number of birds culled might be much higher or up to 120 million birds. An outbreak might last 6-18 months. |
| Hazard | Zoonotic notifiable animal diseases (e.g. Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), rabies and West Nile Virus). | Culling of up to 120 million poultry (HPAI) or euthanasia of up to 20 companion animals (plus the possibility of wildlife being affected (Rabies). For West Nile Virus spread by viable vectors in the UK the slaughter of 20-1000 horses is a possibility. |
If you find a dead bird, contact Defra's reporting helpline on 08459 33 55 77. Try to provide as much information as you can about what you've seen so the Veterinary Service can make an initial assessment.
General enquiries: Cabinet Office, 22 Whitehall, London SW1A 2WH.
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