§ Adam PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria the Government have set for the removal of the 20 day standstill rule on livestock movement. [72006]
§ Mr. MorleyThere is firm veterinary and scientific advice in support of the present 20 day standstill, as a means of helping protect against the rapid spread of any new incursion of disease. Such a standstill both improves the prospect of identifying disease on infected premises before animals move off and slows the rate of spread of any undetected disease.
1143WBefore making a decision on the future of the 20 day rule, we wish to consider—and discuss with stakeholders—the relevant recommendations of the Royal Society and Lessons Learned Inquiries into the FMD outbreak. In reaching a view, we will seek to strike a balance between disease control considerations and the economic impact of movement standstills on livestock farmers and markets.