Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has launched a public consultation exercise on the annual review of its contingency plan for tackling an outbreak of exotic animal disease.
The contingency plan comprises a core generic section with specific annexes relating to each of the diseases covered: Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), Avian Influenza (AI), Newcastle Disease (ND), and Classical Swine Fever (CSF).
A spokesman said that the contingency plan reflected DEFRA's commitment to mounting an effective response to outbreaks of these diseases, took account of the creation of the State Veterinary Service (SVS) as an agency; built upon recommendations made by the Royal Society following the United Kingdom outbreak of FMD in 2001; and reflected lessons learned from the exercising of the FMD Contingency Plan during 'Exercise Hornbeam' in June 2004.
Two hundred and nine interested organisations have been invited to comment on the content of the draft plan.
