Within the multi-agency planning work the following diseases are considered: Avian Influenza, Foot and Mouth Disease, African horse sickness and African swine flu. Any animal disease within Cheshire would have a huge impact on the agricultural economy as well as the overall economy of the county. The Cheshire area has a vibrant agricultural economy with large numbers of dairy, beef and poultry farms making significant contributions to both the local and national economy.
There have been several significant animal disease outbreaks in the United Kingdom. Avian Influenza (Bird Flu), Bluetongue and Foot and Mouth Disease are the most notable recent examples. Outbreaks of Avian Influenza have been seen recently within Cheshire and avian influenza has been occurring across the globe. Other animal diseases have been reported elsewhere in the world.
The Foot and Mouth outbreak of 2000 was one of the key factors, which led to the introduction of the Civil Contingencies Act in 2004, due to its huge impact on the UK economy.
CRF updates and tests multi-agency plans for managing animal disease outbreaks and it continues to raise awareness amongst responder agency staff about animal diseases and how to respond to an outbreak.
The predicted impacts could include:
Damage to local agricultural economy
Mass cull/ disposal of animal carcasses
Loss of livelihood for farmers and farm workers
Health risks to farm workers
Long-term psychological health impacts experienced by farmers
Increased food costs to consumers
Knock-on effect on tourism and other service industries (e.g. catering)
Unrecoverable damage to businesses
If you keep livestock, you must: register your land details with the Rural Payments Agency. Register your livestock with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
If you keep birds, check if you need to register as a keeper at Poultry Registration
Keep farm records accurate and up to date
If you’re unsure about stringent hygiene, use Defra-approved disinfectants
Sign up to receive the latest news of exotic notifiable animal disease outbreaks in Britain via the APHA animal disease alert subscription service
Plan ahead: This will help you, your family and community, avoid a disease outbreak and possible animal problems
If an outbreak is declared then follow any guidance from the government to protect your livestock and limit the spread
Vaccinate your livestock where possible
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