Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed strategy for enhancing veterinary surveillance in the UK. This is by way of an interim response since FAWC has not had sufficient opportunity to fully debate the issues and focus its views. The Council will aim to provide a fuller response shortly.

FAWC has already commented on the need for animal welfare surveillance in response to Defra's review of its science based executive agencies. A copy of this letter is attached for your information.

Council sees veterinary surveillance as part of the detailed implementation of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy, which in turn has arisen directly from the recommendations of the Curry Policy Commission Report on Sustainable Farming and Food. As such, veterinary surveillance is a vital information gathering and monitoring tool on animal welfare and disease with which to inform both Government's key strategies and those with responsibility for management and control of these issues.

FAWC fully supports veterinary surveillance of diseases because these lead to major welfare risks. However, it is important to ensure that endemic diseases are assessed as well as exotic ones. The former can lead to significant welfare problems for animals on the farm.

Council also sees a need for animal welfare surveillance as a distinct area of resourced activity and not just an add-on to disease inspections. Welfare issues, both related and unrelated to disease, need to be targeted by specific surveillance activity.

There are roles for a number of bodies (from the SVS and private practice) to be involved in veterinary surveillance but the co-ordination of such inputs will need to be greatly improved to achieve the desired objective.

FAWC has attended a number of meetings related to the proposed strategies on animal health and welfare and veterinary surveillance. It is useful for FAWC to be on platforms such as these to ensure that the animal welfare arguments are given prominence. I hope that Council can continue to contribute to the development of these important initiatives.

FAWC Secretariat
March 2003