FMD Crisis Centre in Dumfries & Galloway

Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
A £2 MILLION foot-and-mouth crisis centre is being built in Dumfries.

The state-of-the-art facility, which will create around 30 new jobs, will be Scotland’s first emergency centre for the disease.

And with the capability to process 40,000 animal blood tests a week the new site could prove essential in stopping future outbreaks.

By Gavin McInally of the Dumfries and Galloway News

Confirmation that the facility will be created at the Scottish Agricultural Centre’s (SAC) existing Dumfries site in St Mary’s Industrial Estate has delighted local veterinary staff.

Site manager Dr Richard Laven says the centre is the first of its kind.

He said: “This is fantastic news for our region. This centre will provide Dumfries and Galloway, as well as the rest of Scotland, with an essential blood testing service.

“The idea of creating the facility has been discussed for the past few months and it was great news when it was confirmed that the Dumfries site had been chosen.

“During the foot-and-mouth outbreak testing was carried out in Surrey which created a huge backlog that led to serious problems.

“When this facility is completed we will be able to test animals on a day-to-day basis and keep the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) informed of potential dangers.

“This will definitely be the first of its kind in Britain, maybe even the world.”

With money from SEERAD and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) confirmed, building work is expected to be completed by January 2004.

Dr Laven feels staff in the region will now have the ability to trace and deal with a range of dangerous infections as well as foot-and-mouth.

He added: “On a day-to-day basis we will be checking for diseases such as Newcastle disease, which effects chickens, blue tongue disease, which can be found in sheep and cattle and also keeping an eye on diseases in other countries such as the avian flu, which is causing problems in Holland.

“And in the event of an outbreak the centre can be transformed into a emergency facility within a week and we could be blood testing up to 40,000 animals a week.

“Around 30 new posts with be created although I would imagine many of them will be filled by staff from across the country.”

A spokesman for SEERAD said: “We can confirm that in response to the foot-and-mouth inquiry that we have found a national facility to carry out blood testing in the event of another animal disease outbreak.

“We are working with the SAC to provide a serology unit at the college site in Dumfries and work is at an advanced stage.

“The funding will be provided through the Scottish Executive and DEFRA.”

The foot-and-mouth crisis had a catastrophic effect on the region’s farming industry with more than four million animals being culled.

The outbreak began in England in February 2001 and spread to Scotland within two weeks.

The first case north of the border was recorded at Netherplace Farm, Lockerbie on March 1 and spread rapidly through Annandale and Eskdale, Nithsdale and into the west of the region.

There were 2000 confirmed cases in the UK including more than 170 in Dumfries and Galloway.

In total more than 4.2 million animals were slaughtered during the outbreak including nearly 3.5 million sheep, 580,000 cattle and 146,000 pigs.
                        

Originally from: Bill
                        
Let's hope future testing in Dumfries and Galloway is more effective than in November 2000 when clinically diagnosed animals in the region tested negative and on the advice of Ministry vets were sent to Cheale Meats for slaughter.

Have the lessons been learned? Not at all, even the most recent report reccommends sending in the army at the earliest opportunity. You deal with contagious diseases with as few people as possible, sending in thousands of squaddies to clomp about in it is not a good idea.

Bill.