Brown looks to vaccine option

27 March 2001



Brown looks to vaccine option

By Donald MacPhail

AGRICULTURE minister Nick Brown has asked the European Union for permission to vaccinate livestock against foot-and-mouth disease.

The move is a significant development in the fight against the disease and will fuel concern that the governments present policy is not working.

Mr Brown has also proposed a ban on pigswill, the infected animal feed which is widely believed to be the source of the disease.

He also wants a 20-day standstill period for sheep, goats and cattle, after it emerged that numerous sheep movements spread the disease across the country.

Efforts will also be made to tighten controls to prevent illegal meat imports entering the country, pledged Mr Brown.

The minister said he had approached Brussels so that vaccination could be deployed immediately if the government concluded that it was necessary.

“Vaccination is no easy option,” Mr Brown said in a statement to MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday (27 March).

“It would be expected to delay a full return to international trade, at least for the region affected, and would be likely to require tight controls, at least in the area concerned.

A national policy of vaccination as the protection mechanism against foot-and-mouth is not a policy adopted nor favoured by the European Commission.

But Mr Brown said: “It is, however, accepted that emergency vaccination can play a part in controlling an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.”

Having weighed up the pros and cons of swill feeding, Mr Brown said he was seeking a ban as the risks to other farmers outweighed benefits to swill feeders

And consultation will begin, with a view to introducing legislation, on a 20-day standstill period for livestock, other than pigs which are already covered.

“If these requirements had been in place and observed it is likely that the spread of the foot-and-mouth virus would have been significantly slowed down.”

Turning to illegal meat imports, Mr Brown promised he would seek rules on personal imports tightened across the EU and consider carrier liability.

Once the crisis is over, Mr Brown said he will look at a range of issues including to minimise disease risk including out-of-ring sales.

Conservative Agriculture spokesman Tim Yeo said none of the measures would do anything to slow down the spreads of foot-and-mouth disease.