Disease Update pm Sunday 14th Oct 07

Disease Update pm Sunday 14 October.

FMD

If there is no change in the disease situation those outside of the Risk Area will revert to normal practice on Wednesday morning (17 Oct). You will be under the same rules as you were last May. If you have moved animals onto your holding recently they must have been on your holding for 6 days before you ‘move off’ to live. So on Wednesday animals that you brought on under the 20 day standstill no longer stop you moving off if they have been resident for 6 days. The Protection Zone will be removed on Wednesday but the Surveillance Zone (SZ) and Risk Area (RA) will remain.

The SZ can not be lifted before 5th November and the RA will remain in place until the SZ is lifted. There is a great deal more work to do in the SZ this time compared to the beginning of September. There are a lot of cattle to test and some of them are not easily handled. It would be wise to think in terms of it being lifted shortly after 5th Nov rather than on 5 Nov.

The Risk Area presently comprises: Hampshire, West Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Greater London. The size of the area is constantly reviewed and the content of the area could change before 5 November.

Inter community meat trade. The present regime was not a system that UK government asked for, rather a scheme that the EU presented and UK had to accept. DEFRA are working hard to improve the terms for inter community trade. I am confident that they will succeed at the earliest opportunity.

FMD SZ and RA Occupants.  The restrictions in the zone and area are under constant review. If you are having problems that could be solved by licence please telephone me. 07764409027.

 BTV 8

The Protection Zone (PZ) is now defined by County and District boundaries. This policy will continue as they are boundaries that are recognised by the EU and are easier for legal and mapping departments. The Control Zone (CZ) is likely to move to this system of definition if it has to change again.

Movements to Slaughter.  Animals from the PZ and CZ are now allowed to move to slaughter either direct or via multiple pick up collection centre or market (FMD rules still apply depending on which FMD zone / area you are in). Plants receiving the animals have to pass an MHS inspection and be listed on the DEFRA website. Before you send animals check that the plant is licensed to receive animals from the BTV zones. The licence to move animals from the zones will be published as soon as plants have been inspected and this will happen on Monday 15 Oct. Animals may already move to plants within the zones.

Movement to Live.  There is no licence for movement to live but this is work in progress. It is controlled by EU rules and they are quite onerous.

We all need to pay attention to the BTV rules as the map could change dramatically in any 24 hour period and if it does no doubt some of us will be caught with animals in the wrong place.