Land-Care echoes Mary Marshalls concerns. We understand that a representative from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) did not attend. Yet they are essential in relation to how carcase disposal of livestock from an affected farm can be safely carried out in terms of environmental issues.

We also understand that it was alleged that final confirmation of the viral strain involved could take some 14 days – far too long for any vaccination programme to be effective. It could be that this is a misunderstanding and the time interval would in fact be much less. However, the fact that such a time scale was being mentioned at all indicates the great need for much better communication and education about how a new outbreadk of FMD would be handled.

It would appear that the application of long-established science to the rapid diagnosis of FMD and the ability to distinguish between naturally infected animals and vaccinated ones in terms of FMD has still not been applied to any future outbreak within the UK (although it has elsewhere).

A search of the State Veterinary Service (Scotland) website makes no reference to the exercise. Direct inquiry to the Press Office of the Scottish Executive confirmed that no further information other than that contained in the newspaper article referred to above is available, but that a report will be published on future strategy sometime in the future. Land-Care has therefore had to rely on newspaper articles and local knowledge.

It seems that the Scottish Executive through its State Veterinary Service has a long way to go and not a lot of time to get there. Getting there involves meeting the new EU Directive on FMD control that puts vaccination in the front line of strategy (4). The inference from what can be gleaned from the simulation exercise carried out in Perthshire on 4th September 2003 is that we are still on the starting line.

Essential to the EU directive is that the virus strain can be rapidly identified and appropriate vaccines made available, and methods for their use clearly established.

The numerous foot and mouth inquires into FMD 2001 have all reported. The recommendation that the Food Standards Agency should be making the public aware that there is no danger in eating meat from FMD vaccinated animals does not seem to be happening. The time to do this is when there is not a crisis (5), but personal communication from with a member of the FSA indicated that as yet the FSA has been too busy to get round to it.

Recent discussion with a member of the USA Center for Disease Control (CDC) highlighted the difference in the level of biosecurity at airports in the USA and the UK in terms of preventing the entry into the respective countries of FMD contaminated products. The UK claims that it is too difficult and biosecurity at points of entry to the UK remain very lax.

Let us only hope that the UK is spared another FMD outbreak until such time as this particular EU directive is in force. DEFRA and its Scottish equivalent should remember that if they do not get their houses in order regarding FMD then the EU has taken the power to do it for them.

References
1. Buglass, Dan (2003). FMD exercise shows lessons learned. The Scotsman 4th Sept.
http://www.news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=972872003 (Click here to view).

2. Scottish Natural Heritage (2003). Draft Scottish Outdoor Access Cdoe.
www.snh.org.uk

3. Irvine, James (2003). Draft Scottish Outdoor Access Code: Resposne to consultation.
See SCOTTISH OUTDOOR ACCESS CODE HOMEPAGE, Filed 28 June 03, www.land-care.org.uk, Click here to view

4. Editorial (2003). New EU Directive on FMD.
See FMD HOMEPAGE, Filed Oct 03, www.land-care.org.uk, Click here to view

5. Royal Society of Edinburgh (2002). Foot and Mouth Inquiry.
www.royalsoced.org.uk