Farmers warned on disease vigilance

UK - Farmers have been given another warning about the need for vigilance on animal diseases, health and welfare. On the anniversary of the start of the 2001 foot-and-mouth epidemic, Lewis Macdonald, the deputy environment and rural development minister, said yesterday: "We do not know from which direction the next animal-disease threat will come. It could be the global spread of an exotic, fast-moving epidemic such as we suffered with FMD in 2001.

"It could be resurgence of a disease we have known about for generations and thought we had the measure of. Or, and perhaps the worst possibility, a disease which moves from animals to humans."

But opening a new £1.4 million SAC veterinary surveillance centre at Perth, the minister pointed out that farmers are not powerless against these threats: "Our front-line defence must be unflagging awareness by farmers of any deviations from the usual health of their animals, backed up by professional advice from their vets."

The new centre, and the Executive’s surveillance strategy website, will keep both farmers and vets informed on national and international disease patterns, and key warning signs and symptoms.

Source: The Scotsman

22 February 2005