Joint (Government/Industry) Working Group on sharing responsibilities and costs of animal disease

Launch of Industry/Government consultation on sharing responsibilities and costs of exotic animal disease

A new report which sets out recommendations on how livestock keepers and government can share responsibilities and the costs of exotic animal disease has been published today.

Stewart Houston, Industry Co-Chair of the Joint (Industry/Government) Working Group on Sharing Responsibilities and Costs of Animal Disease, said:

“Reducing the risk and the extent of an exotic animal disease outbreak is of paramount concern to us all. We believe that industry and government working together is the way that goal will be best achieved. It means industry taking a full role in managing exotic disease risks, and, in return, it means industry being prepared to pay a share of the costs.”

The report contains over forty individual conclusions and recommendations. Views are invited on these and the consultation seeks views, in particular, on the following recommendations:

• A joint industry and government approach to sharing costs and responsibility for exotic animal disease, based on genuine partnership, is the right approach. Both parties will need to be able to accommodate this change in relationship;
• A new statutory body should be established for sharing responsibilities and costs for exotic animal disease;
•   Agreement needs to be reached on the most appropriate funding mechanism together with the most effective and efficient administrative arrangements;
•   There is no one size fits all – need for differences between and within livestock sectors to be recognised;
•   A joint industry government group in some form should be maintained to advise government and industry on developing specific proposals.

Responding to the report Jeff Rooker said:

“This publication requires both industry and government to think and behave in a new way – so for many people it won't make easy reading. But the hard experience of previous outbreaks, the threat of future disease and developments at a European level all tell us that the time is right for a re-think in animal disease policy. The Working Group has made a valuable contribution in taking forward this important debate.”

The publication of the report follows the speech by David Miliband at the Royal Show last week, where he said that livestock farmers individually and collectively need to have a clear understanding of the disease risks and the costs that these risks generate, and a genuine share in the ownership of the measures taken to control them.

The report is available online: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/regulation/csharead/jigwg/index.htm

Notes to editors

1.   The Joint (Government/Industry) Working Group on Sharing Responsibilities and Costs of Animal Disease was established in December 2005. The Group is chaired jointly by Stewart Houston (Chairman of the British Pig Executive and member of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy England Implementation Group) and by Mike Segal (Defra). The Group is made up of individuals from the livestock sector, and academic and Government representatives. Industry members serve in a personal capacity and do not represent any organisation with which they may be associated.

2.   The deadline for comments is 31 October 2006. Hard copies of the report and covering letter from the Joint Chairs to Ministers and to industry can be requested from:

Branch B
Sustainable Farming Businesses Division
Area 5A
9 Millbank, c/o Nobel House,
17 Smith Square
London SW1P 3JR
Tel: 020 7238 3078
Fax: 020 7238 3082
Email: costsharing@defra.gsi.gov.uk

End

Public enquiries: 08459 335577
News releases available on our website:
www.defra.gov.uk
Defra's aim is sustainable development