DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (138/07) issued by
The Government News Network on 18 May 2007
Today's
report, by the Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Debby Reynolds,
summarises progress and developments in the field of animal health
and welfare during the last calendar year. It also defines
progress in relation to the five strategic principles of the
Animal Health and Welfare Strategy, as well as being a continuous
statistical record of the state of animal disease.
Topics covered in the 2006 report include the Animal Welfare Act
which received Royal Assent and has now come into force, Exercise
Hawthorn and the incidents of avian influenza in Scotland and
Norfolk, and the establishment of the UK Responsibility and Cost
Sharing Consultative Forum.
Other major areas covered in the report are:
* The Eves
review of the Animal Health and Welfare Delivery Landscape
*
The creation of the National Wildlife Crime Unit
* Bovine TB,
including the introduction of pre-movement testing and extension
of the use of gamma interferon testing
* Bluetongue in
northern Europe, which signaled a development in the distribution
of the virus
* An incident of Newcastle Disease on a partridge
farm
* The continuing decline in the number of BSE cases
Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Debby Reynolds said:
"I am
pleased to say that one of the key themes evident throughout 2006
was a successful and collaborative working relationship with our
stakeholders. From the UK Responsibility and Cost Sharing
Consultative Forum to the National Fallen Stock Scheme, this
partnership approach has directly lead to significant developments
in animal health and welfare."
Notes to editors
1. The annual report is available on the
Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/cvo/report/index.htm
2. The Report of the Chief Veterinary Officer - Animal Health
2006 has today been laid in the House of Commons library. It is
available free of charge from Defra's Publications Unit (Tel:
08459 556000)
3. The Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain is
available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/ahws/default.htm
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