Thank you, Chair.

Animal disease outbreaks are devastating for all concerned and can have wide and costly consequences for animal and public health, the economy and the environment. Ensuring a state of preparedness for an incursion of an exotic notifiable animal disease, therefore, is a priority. Suspicion of an exotic notifiable animal disease, such as foot and mouth disease or bluetongue, under the terms of the Animal Health Act 1981, must be reported to the Animal and Plant Health Agency for investigation. There have been 137 such reports between April 2015 and 20 June this year.

If an exotic notifiable animal disease outbreak occurs, the significant costs for Government are unbudgeted and are considered as a contingent liability. Policy responsibility for animal health and welfare was devolved to the Welsh Government in 2005; however, it was not until 2011 that the associated budgets were devolved. The potential for heavy, unbudgeted costs for dealing with a disease outbreak would place an unexpected pressure on unrelated programmes and services provided by the Welsh Government. It is, therefore, vital that surveillance activities and contingency planning are in place with the aim of preventing, detecting, managing and eradicating disease quickly to minimise the impact on the livestock industry, the rural community and the wider economy.

Contingency planning provides the systems and structures necessary to manage and eradicate an animal disease outbreak. The Animal Health Act 2002 required contingency plans to be produced for FMD, Newcastle disease and avian influenza, which should be reviewed and updated regularly. The Welsh Government has had robust contingency plans in place since 2003, which are regularly tested in exercises and disease incidents. The ‘Welsh Government Contingency Plan for Exotic Animal Diseases’ sets out the procedures, processes and structures that would be used in a disease outbreak. The plan is reviewed annually and republished as necessary. It has recently been reviewed and was republished last month. Such reviews take account of lessons learned from UK and local exercises, as well as real-time events. Contingency plans were last used for outbreaks of avian influenza in England and Scotland in mid-2015 and early 2016. England, Scotland and Northern Ireland also maintain contingency plans and, in addition, the ‘United Kingdom Contingency Plan for Exotic Notifiable Diseases of Animals’ provided a strategic overview of the structures and systems necessary to deal with an outbreak of disease in the UK, demonstrating how the Governments would work together in an outbreak.

The early detection of disease is essential for animal and public health. By long-term planning and taking a joined-up approach to developing our contingency planning, we can help create the healthy, resilient and prosperous Wales we are striving for with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. Surveillance is undertaken on a Wales and England basis by APHA, along with Welsh Government veterinary advisors, who also horizon scan the global animal disease situation to identify any risks to the UK. The Welsh Government and the other UK administrations have specific legislation and disease control strategies for dealing with diseases such as bluetongue, rabies, FMD, classical swine fever and equine diseases.

Bluetongue is a notifiable disease that can affect ruminant species, including sheep, cattle, deer, goats and camelids. There are 26 strains of the bluetongue virus and it has no human health implications and does not affect meat or other animal products. BTV is mainly spread by adult infected midges biting an animal susceptible to the disease. The BTV strain 8 first reached the UK during 2007 from mainland Europe and the UK was not declared disease free until 2011.

BTV8 is currently circulating in France with over 288 outbreaks reported as at 1 July. France is continuing to confirm cases, primarily identified as a result of surveillance. The key aspect of the threat to the UK is the location of the outbreaks, which are currently in the central and south-west regions. If the situation changes and outbreaks are confirmed further north, nearer to the English coast, then the risk to the UK would increase accordingly.

There are two key ways that BTV8 might arrive into the UK: through infected midges or through the importation of infected livestock. A qualitative risk assessment, published in February, considered the likely incursion of BTV8 into the UK. Given the strong movement and import controls, the risk of an infected live animal introducing the disease into the UK was considered to be low. Infected midges are considered the most likely route and the risk of an incursion into the UK was considered to be 33 to 60 per cent in July and 60 to 80 per cent in September.

France has applied the restrictions required by EU rules. Animals in a restriction zone are banned from leaving, unless accompanied by a veterinary health certificate that confirms they are vaccinated against BTV or naturally immune. Animals imported into the UK from a restriction zone are restricted on the holding of destination until post-import testing for signs of disease are completed. APHA also carry out risk-based post-import testing of animals imported from free areas within France.

Government is continuing to work closely with the livestock industry and veterinary profession to ensure they are reliably informed. The situation in France is being closely monitored and consideration is being given to the risks and mitigation measures if BTV8 reached the UK. The National Farmers Union has launched an industry campaign—joint action against bluetongue, or JAB—to inform and support the livestock industry by raising awareness of the disease and the actions they can take to protect their animals. Discussions with vaccine manufacturers indicate they intend to make available BTV8 vaccine supplies over the summer.

In advance of any outbreak or incident, Government will ensure all relevant agencies and partners will be able to communicate effectively and appropriately regarding the risk. Our key messages are: there are robust disease surveillance procedures in place; livestock keepers should consider, along with their vet, the best protection for their animals, including whether vaccination is an option that would benefit their business; farmers who import or move susceptible species should carefully consider the risks and the health status of animals when sourcing stock, particularly from mainland Europe; farmers are strongly encouraged to be vigilant, monitor their stock carefully and report any signs of disease.

The risk of incursion of bluetongue is difficult to predict as it is highly dependent on the level of disease on the continent, the proximity to the UK and the weather. I am, therefore, confident we have the structures in place to enable us to take swift and decisive action in the event of an outbreak of an exotic notifiable animal disease in Wales. We will continue to work closely with operational partners and stakeholders to monitor the current situation and minimise this risk.