Whether the risk analysis being undertaken by its Environment and Rural Affairs Department of the 21-day movement restriction rule applying…

A risk analysis which assessed the reduction in risk of new outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease by the imposition of a 20-day standstill for cattle, sheep and goats was prepared by the Department of Risk Assessment at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. This risk analysis was issued on 28 November 2001 and copies have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 18976).The assessment concluded that a 20-day standstill effectively applied has the potential to reduce, probably by somewhere close to 100%, the probability of spread of infection by movement of livestock from any premises where infection is present in the livestock. However, the presence of non-blood tested sheep is likely to reduce the probable effectiveness of a 20-day standstill by a considerable amount.Following discussions with our main stakeholders, my officials are now consulting wider interests on proposals which will:retain the principle of the 20-day standstill during 2002, subject to review;allow, from mid-February, a number of limited exemptions from the standstill (for breeding bulls and rams, foster calves and lambs etc);permit from 18 March for cattle and 18 May for sheep an option to apply the 20-day standstill only to animals brought onto the farm (or to animals to be moved off) and not the rest of the animals on the holding on condition that they are kept separate and that biosecurity measures are observed.