Originally from: lina
                        
Most world markets remain shut to British breeders

At the current rate of progress it could be the end of
the decade before all the British pig industry's world
markets are reopened.

Three-quarters remain closed, following the 2001 foot
and mouth epidemic. The 45 countries concerned include
Korea, Japan, China, Mexico, Russia and Brazil. The
United States will take pigs but not semen.

British pig producers are in little doubt that in some
countries at least other agendas are at work – more to
do with protection of markets than animal health.

But there is also the question of whether the UK
government has devoted sufficient resources to the
problem.

The Defra team responsible for certification is about
the same size now as it was pre foot and mouth, and
swine fever. Pig breeders believe it is significantly
under resourced for the task of renegotiating the
terms of export certificates with so many reluctant
countries.

They would like to see outside staff brought in on
short-term contracts. Otherwise, they fear, it will be
several years before all markets are reopened.

Some of the markets – for instance Korea – are of huge
importance to British breeding companies.

Meanwhile, some overseas producers, having been
deprived of British genetics for so long, have no
option but to make other arrangements.

One way UK breeders apply pressure is to continue
talking to their former customers about the
world-beating characteristics of British breeding
stock, so that the producers in turn put pressure on
their own governments.

The current tardiness with which export markets are
being reopened must be borne in mind when considering
whether vaccination should be used in any future
outbreak of foot and mouth or swine fever.

It would be essential to ensure Britain's trading
partners were convinced that any risks involved with
vaccination were acceptable.

Whilst vaccination can be a useful weapon it remains
bedevilled by grey areas, which is why a slaughter
policy will remain the main tool for combating foot
and mouth.

In any future outbreak, the UK government will be
bound, by EU law, to consider vaccination, but this
does not mean an end to the slaughter-and-burn scenes
we saw nightly on our televisions during the peak of
the 2001 epidemic.

The fear with vaccination is that an animal might be
incubating foot and mouth at the time it was
vaccinated. The vaccine would suppress clinical
symptoms of the disease but the animal might become a
carrier, with the potential for becoming viraemic at
some future stage.

Pigs cannot become carriers but cattle can, and to a
lesser extent, sheep. There is no evidence that
carriers would infect other animals, but equally it is
difficult to prove that it couldn't happen.
Government's view will be that though the risk is low,
it cannot be ignored.

Although PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests could
detect carriers immediately post infection they cannot
after 28 days, whereupon more sensitive detection
testing would be required.

Vaccinated animals could not be exported, even after
foot and mouth free status had been regained, except
for breeding nucleus of animals indispensable for the
survival of a breed, and zoo animals.

Importantly, the decision on vaccination in the event
of a future outbreak would be transparent, Vaccinated
animals would be eartagged. – D.S.

http://www.npa-uk.net/