Originally from: mona parr
                        
Hornbeam": role-playing exercise to test Government's responses to a foot and mouth outbreak taking place 29–30 June

Over the next two days (29–30 June) a national exercise to test Defra's contingency plans for a future outbreak of foot and mouth disease will be taking place.

The exercise is code-named 'Hornbeam'. During the exercise people from across Defra and its agencies will be role-playing days seven and eight of an FMD outbreak. Media representatives have been invited to attend briefings on both days of the exercise.

The exercise has been developed by the State Veterinary Service contingency division. It is the culmination of a series of exercises looking at strategic, tactical and operational responses to an FMD outbreak.

See Defra news release 232/04 (18 June 2004