Defra (Professor Nigel Gibbens and Pamela Thompson) (Supplementary) (ABR0053)

Legislative review

The quantity of legislation we have reviewed for operability post-EU Exit covering animal health and welfare and plant health is:

• 87 pieces of domestic legislation
• 289 pieces of EU legislation  (138 of which have been ‘transposed’ into UK law)

We continue to work on aspects of the legislation which we consider will be partially operable or inoperable, through our work preparing for the Repeal Bill to ensure the UK has a fully functioning legal framework for animal and plant health and animal welfare on the day of Exit. 

EU bodies upon which the UK currently relates

The UK currently engages with a number of EU bodies, systems and agencies in relation to animal health and welfare.  These are listed below.  We are currently reviewing the implications of EU Exit on our relationships with all of these organisations and systems.

Bodies

SCoPAFF –Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (Section Animal Health and Welfare and Controls and Import Conditions) within the Commission’s department DG SANTE. It ensures that Union measures on food, animal health & welfare are practical and effective, by delivering opinions (voting process by qualified majority) on draft measures that the Commission intends to adopt including disease control. All MSs, including UK, are members of the Committee and participate in the drafting, influence and vote on all those measures.

CVO network: Working Party of the 28 CVOs is a high level forum to influence and negotiate key decisions and strategies at EU level including disease control in Member States and discussions between the EU and non-EU countries on veterinary matters.

Directorate F (former FVO) – DG SANTE carries out audits, inspections and activities aimed at ensuring that EU legislation on food and feed safety, animal health, animal welfare, plant health, medical devices is properly implemented and enforced. It ensures compliance within the EU/EFTA and in third countries, in relation to their exports to the EU, through country audits and study visits. It manages the EU response to animal disease outbreaks in third countries where safeguard action may be needed.

EURLs (EU Reference Laboratories) provide technical assurance of national reference laboratories for animal health (and food and feed) by coordinating a network of national reference laboratories (NRLs). Their work leads to better implementation of EU legislation (e.g. by enforcing legislative limits and reducing the need to repeat testing) as well as the provision of reference methods, reference materials, proficiency-testing schemes and training to laboratory staff, crucial in surveillance and in confirming/ruling out diseases in case of suspicion.

EU Vaccine Banks contribute to control strategies that rely on rapid sourcing of large quantities of vaccine, if unusual vaccines are needed, or if particular species or animals need to be protected. They hold vaccines/antigens in large quantities or an unusual vaccine not commonly available. Member States contribute to the funding of banks, and can all utilise them if needed.

ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) aims to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases identifying, assessing and communicating current and emerging threats to human health posed by infectious diseases. It works in partnership with national health protection bodies across Europe to strengthen and develop continent-wide disease surveillance and early warning systems.

Systems

ADNS (Animal Disease Notification System) is an EU vehicle for uploading disease outbreak information and is the software tool that enables the central veterinary authority of each Member State (MS) to notify both the European Commission and other MSs of new outbreaks of specified notifiable diseases. UK currently benefits from ADNS via the rapid exchange of information between MSs and international disease monitoring and risk assessment.

TRACES is an online management tool for all sanitary requirements on intra-EU and third country trade, and a certification system for animals and animal products. It makes it possible to trace animal and animal products e.g. in the event of a disease outbreak, to both inform the destination country and other MS. The EU are currently encouraging major third country suppliers to link to TRACES. 

Agencies

EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) produces scientific opinions and advice that form the basis for European policies and legislation covering among others, food and feed safety and animal health and welfare. It is also manages risk communication. It operates independently of the European legislative and executive institutions (Commission, Council, and Parliament) and EU Member States.

Chafea (Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency) is the assessing body for the Promotion of Agri products programme. It works closely with  DG Health and Food Safety to implement the EU Health Programme, the Consumer Programme, Better Training for Safer Food initiative (BTSF) and the Promotion of Agriculture Products Programme.

ECHA (European Chemical Agency) is the regulatory authority in implementing the EU's chemicals legislation. It covers Disinfectants Product Type 3 (disinfectants used for veterinary hygiene purposes) which are an important tool to control animal pathogens and to prevent animal diseases. Authorities have developed legal requirements on the application of approved disinfection measures to be applied in the case of outbreaks of certain animal/livestock diseases that enables compliance with compulsory disinfection in the event of an outbreak.

EMA (European Medicines Agency) regulates the licensing and market authorisation of medicines (including veterinary) across the EU (and EEA). UK currently uses EU wide databases for public health (early warning systems, etc.) coordinated by the EMA. EMA is based in London and the UK provides chairmanships/delegates for many EMA working parties. It provides support in prevention and control of diseases via the authorisations of vaccines and medicines. Together with EFSA and ECDC,  EMA coordinates the monitoring and surveillance of AMR and antimicrobial consumption. The EMA Antimicrobial Advice Ad Hoc Expert Group (AMEG) provides advice to the Commission on the impact on public and animal health of the use of antibiotics in animals.

Current EU funding of EU Reference Laboratories in the UK

The UK currently has seven EU reference laboratories, based at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), the Pirbright Institute and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS).  The total amount of European funding to these labs which will be lost on exit is 2.1 million Euros per annum.

Defra research spending

The profile of spend by Defra on animal health and welfare related scientific research over the last ten years is profiled below (to the nearest £100k):

A significant element in the decline in Defra Animal Health and Welfare research investment over the last 10 years is associated with a reduced spend on TSE related science that was escalated during the time of the BSE epidemic. TSE research funding is now maintained at a lower level to support sufficient national capability and expertise.

5 April 2017