Foot and mouth outbreak in Germany – Carmichael calls for more biosecurity funding

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has today in Parliament called for greater funding for biosecurity, following a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Germany. German authorities confirmed the outbreak on Friday 10 January, in a herd of water buffalo on the outskirts of Berlin. The outbreak affected a group of 14 animals, three of which had died.

Speaking in Parliament during an urgent question on the outbreak, Mr Carmichael noted the “disgrace” of the state of the Animal and Plant Health Agency headquarters, which he visited recently, and called on the government to increase funding to the agency further to avoid risk to UK farmers.

Mr Carmichael is Chair of the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, which scrutinises the work of DEFRA and its agencies. 

Speaking in the House, Mr Carmichael said:

“I, too, remember the events of 2001 and I remember, having just been elected, the debates we had in this House. We said that we must always learn the lessons and never forget, but in truth, frankly, we have. The extent to which we are exposed today is something for which responsibility is shared across the parties. 

“The state of the Animal and Plant Health Agency headquarters in Weybridge is a disgrace and it is now an urgent disgrace. Hopefully, this is a bullet that we will dodge, but if we do, we know there is also the risk of African swine fever, bluetongue and avian influenza all coming. Is this the point where, across the House, we can all agree on the importance of biosecurity and the importance of funding it?”

Responding for the government, Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner MP said:

“I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for his point. I think we all know how important biosecurity is, and that is why the Government committed a further £200 million for that very important facility in Weybridge.”

Reacting after the exchange, Mr Carmichael said:

“£200m for the Animal and Plant Health Agency is a start but it is far from sufficient to the challenge we are facing. I fear that having learned hard lessons from foot-and-mouth in 2001 those lessons have been forgotten. 

“Whether it is at our borders or within our country we cannot afford to be complacent. Early indications are that authorities in Germany are tackling the outbreak effectively, but this should be the trigger for more investment in biosecurity so that we are ready for whatever may come next.  

“We were fortunate in the Northern Isles to have avoided any cases of foot-and-mouth in 2001 but that is not to say that we were unaffected. Every farmer and crofter felt the impact – in some cases the real trauma – of that outbreak and the harm it did to their lives and livelihoods for months on end. We must do everything that we can to ensure that such an outbreak does not happen again.”