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The Vet, Norman Leslie writes to the Veterinary Record THE
EDITOR, THE VETERINARY RECORD, BRITISH VETERINARY Sir, I wish to comment on the BAV`s top ten issues relating to Foot
& Mouth disease as quoted in the Annual Report 2001-2002. Point “The
veterinary chain stretching from the strategic role of the command
centre in DEFRA to the TVI on the farm needs strengthening. A key
link is the contact point between the reporting TVI and the
national reporting office in London” In
the light of last year's holocaustic experience, this should read
LOCAL command centre. There should be at least several persons in
every LOCAL Disease Emergency Control Centre (DECC) who are
capable of making decisions without referral to Page Street.
According to the Lessons learned Inquiry (Anderson Report) one of
the major failings was the lack of use of local knowledge in local
situations. The
role of Page Street should be restricted to that of setting broad
policy aims and facilitating them. The Anderson Report
“recommends that as many functions of the State Veterinary
Service as possible be relocated from London to regional centres,
particularly Scotland and Wales.” It is unrealistic to
expect people who have to daily cope with the urbanized and
political metropolitan jungle to deal in a realistic way
with the local intensities of disease control. The BVA should not
allow itself to be seduced by smooth talking siren voices from
Whitehall. Point
8 The
farm is the weakest link in the food chain in terms of strictness
of control measures. Livestock farmers, particularly in the sheep
industry, will have to accept that there can never be a return to
pre-Foot & Mouth conditions. The industry must act through its
stakeholder representatives to ensure that sensible and practical
compromises can be worked out. On
the other hand, it is the duty of policy makers, acting on
properly researched veterinary advice, to create realistic
conditions under which legitimate trade can be confidently carried
on, thus ensuring an end-product which gives satisfaction to
both producers and consumers alike. Lackadaisical import controls
and a laissez-faire attitude to the spread of, for example, bovine
TB. DEFRA must strengthen national bio-security urgently, in order
to win back the confidence of the livestock industry and rural
communities if it is to be realistic in expecting compliance. Norman
W. Leslie, BA MVB, MRCVS 55 Cambridge Avenue Marton-in-Cleveland, Middlesborough TS7 8EG September 2002. References: British Veterinary Association Annual Report 2001-2002 , Page 6 Lessons Learned Inquiry (Anderson report) Section 17 Looking Ahead Page 61 Recommendation 70 National Movement Restrictions and FMD. Kevin Taylor, VR 6th. April; page 654 Norman W. Leslie, VR 18th. May; page 644 |
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