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Surveillance model project - Q&A

1. What is veterinary surveillance?

Veterinary surveillance seeks to identify new or re-emerging disease threats to our livestock population and to public health. It is concerned with the systematic, ongoing measurement, collection, collation, analysis, interpretation and timely dissemination of animal health data for describing disease occurrence and for the planning, implementation and evaluation of disease control measures.

Although the rationale for government funding has been surveillance in the public interest (including a sustainable livestock farming industry), individual farmers and vets benefit from the provision of a high quality diagnostic and referral service to help solve their individual problems. This review will seek to explore the compatibility of these twin objectives.

2. What is the current model for veterinary surveillance?

Surveillance has historically been based on in-depth investigation of disease incidents with an emphasis on post mortem examinations carried out at AHVLA’s regional laboratories. Post mortem examinations are fundamental to successful surveillance, as they can provide earlier warning, and are critical to being able to distinguish new threats from the wide and varied landscape of endemic diseases. This system has successfully identified significant threats, such as BSE, and is a key element in the government’s risk-based approach to the management of animal disease related threats.

It involves a partnership approach between livestock keepers, private veterinary surgeons, the Scottish Agricultural College, industry bodies and AHVLA in order to effectively gather and assess intelligence.

In recent years the programme has been responsible for the early detection of pandemic H1N1 influenza in pigs, four notifiable avian disease outbreaks, bovine tuberculosis in non-bovine species, antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella and virulent psoroptic mange in cattle, as well as providing reassurance of the national animal health status that has supported trade and allowed substantial savings in TSE surveillance.

The scanning surveillance programme in England and Wales cost approximately £10 million in 2009/10 and will reduce to £6 million by 2014/15. Economic case studies carried out in 2010 suggest the benefits derived from the programme greatly exceeded its costs over recent years, however there are areas in which the current approach can be improved.

3. What is the purpose of the surveillance model project?

The project is seeking to identify ways to undertake veterinary surveillance both more effectively and at an affordable cost to the taxpayer.

A recent internal report from the AHVLA Sustainable Surveillance Project (ASSP) identified viable options for achieving better surveillance at lower cost. It also explored moving towards intelligence based surveillance, seeking maximum value from working in partnership with farmers and their vets and other sources of data.

The ASSP suggested a change in emphasis, moving from relying so heavily on post mortem examinations to detect new threats, to a more systematic engagement with stakeholders. This would generate intelligence as well as samples for diagnostic investigation. Thus surveillance could be underpinned by an intelligence network that is supported by a diagnostic capability; including quality assured post mortem examinations.

Too much potentially valuable surveillance information is not adequately captured. Private vets have access to significant quantities of surveillance information that is not currently ‘harnessed’ and there is considerable scope for drawing more effectively on the knowledge of experienced vets. There is an opportunity for all involved to work more collaboratively and with a greater sense of partnership for mutual benefit. Moves towards intelligence based surveillance, seeking maximum value from working in partnership with farmers and their vets and other sources of data therefore need to be explored.

Improving partnership working is a key concept and is integral to AHVLA’s strategic vision. It means working more closely with the private veterinary profession and with the livestock farming industry, in order to build a more collaborative working relationship. This could ultimately place private vets in the forefront of disease surveillance and control with AHVLA committed to supporting them.

It might also mean, for example, boosting the number of regional post mortem facilities through agreements with veterinary schools or other organisations to provide local services and an extended ‘footprint’. This potentially could include veterinary practices with a high level of expertise. To achieve such, private veterinarians could be provided with training to help them take better samples from on-farm post mortem examinations, advice on the safe and legal disposal of material of animal origin, and ways could be explored to provide better access to improved surveillance data.

4. Why introduce the project now?

Work in this area has been on-going since 2010, however the merger of the former Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) has created opportunities to rationalise how we deliver across a range of services.

As a result of a reduced spending review settlement, in line with wider reduction in public expenditure, there is also the need for AHVLA to continue to provide high quality services within a reduced operating budget by exploring more efficient and joined-up ways of working.

There is also a need to address throughput at some laboratories. The low caseload undermines surveillance and the ability of AHVLA vets to maintain expertise.

5. How will the project be taken forward and who will be consulted?

An Advisory Group (AG) has been established under an independent chair in order to give stakeholders a clear voice in shaping a model for the future.

Professor Dirk Pfeiffer, Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Head of the Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health Group in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, will chair the Advisory Group.

The Group is being created to ensure all aspects are thoroughly considered. It will consist of the following representatives from government, the veterinary profession and the livestock farming and private laboratory industries:

  • Professor Dirk Pfeiffer (Chair)
    Professor Dirk Pfeiffer, is Professor of Veterinary Epidemiology and Head of the Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health Group in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London.
  • Kate Hovers (Veterinarian practicing in Wales)
    Kate Hovers is a Veterinary Surgeon based in Wales. Having run her own mixed species practice for 13 years, she now works as a sheep consultant, a locum veterinary surgeon and part-time large animal veterinary adviser for a pharmaceutical company. She is a past president of the Sheep Veterinary Society and of the South Wales division of British Veterinary Association.
  • Huw Davies (Welsh farming representative)
    Huw Davies is a sheep farmer from Carmarthenshire. He is a member of the Steering Committee for the Implementation of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Wales and the Welsh Regional Board of the Moredun Research Institute, and a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies.
  • Paul Roger (Sheep Vet)
    Paul Roger is a past president of the Sheep Veterinary Society. With over 25 years in general practice, he now runs a referral practice and consultancy service in farm animal health and production, based in Richmond, North Yorkshire. He has a particular interest in sheep and their welfare.
  • Fran Baird (Pig Vet)
    Fran Baird is a practicing veterinarian and a partner in the George Veterinary group with responsibility for the pig and farm animal departments. His main interests lie in pig production systems and he provides an advisory service to clients with all types of pig breeding, rearing and finishing businesses.
  • Daniel Parker (Poultry Vet)
    Daniel Parker established Slate Hall Veterinary Practice, a specialist poultry practice with expanded laboratory facilities in December 1996. This provides diagnostic and consultancy services to a wide range of poultry clients. He is a past President of The British Veterinary Poultry Association (BVPA) and a veterinary advisor to the British Poultry Council.
  • Gwyn Jones (NFU)
    Gwyn Jones is a dairy farmer, a Nuffield Scholar and Fellow of the RASE. He was also the NFU National Dairy Board chairman for six years until becoming Vice President of the NFU.
  • Paul Burr (Biobest Laboratories Ltd)
    Dr Paul Burr is Chief Executive of Biobest Laboratories Ltd, a specialist veterinary virology, serology and DNA diagnostics business.
  • David Harwood (AHVLA)
    David Harwood is a veterinary investigation officer with AHVLA. He is currently programme manager of animal welfare projects and is a member of Small Ruminant Expert Group (goats). He is a former President of British Cattle Veterinary Association and an Honorary Veterinary Surgeon to the British Goat Society.
  • Alick Simmons (Defra, Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer)
    Alick Simmons is Defra’s Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer with lead responsibilities for veterinary surveillance.
  • Christianne Glossop (Welsh Government, Chief Veterinary Officer)
    Christianne Glossop is the Welsh Government’s Chief Veterinary Officer.
  • Jane Gibbens (AHVLA)
    Jane Gibbens is AHVLA’s Head of Epidemiology and Portfolio Manager for Scanning Surveillance and Epidemiology.

It will be for the AG to determine their modus operandi, but it can be expected that they will consult further within the veterinary profession and livestock farming and laboratory services industries. Individual veterinary practioners and farming businesses will be made aware of the review via the farming and veterinary press.

AHVLA will also be publishing, and publicising, an online survey aimed at individual veterinary practioners and livestock keepers.

6. How have members of the AG been appointed?

Stakeholder organisations, including policy departments, in both Wales and England have been asked for membership suggestions.

7. Is the project not simply a cover for the closure of post mortem sites?

No. There has been no pre-determined decision that in future veterinary surveillance will be undertaken from fewer sites. In order to operate within our reduced budget, and in line with the current AHVLA estates review and the rationalisation opportunities created by the merger of Animal Health and the VLA, it is likely that AHVLA will in future operate from fewer sites. This does not however mean that veterinary surveillance will be undertaken from fewer sites.

8. Doesn’t the recently announced cessation of laboratory services indicate where future veterinary surveillance cuts will fall?

No. The decision to cease laboratory testing at some regional laboratory sites rested on the fact that there is, with some exceptions, no need to collocate post mortem examinations and laboratory testing work.

9. What is this likely to mean to the farming industry?

In general terms, the farming industry will simply continue to benefit from effective disease surveillance and diagnostic services at a realistic cost.

10. How long will the project take?

The online survey will be available from mid-January for a three week period. The AG will be asked to make recommendations to AHVLA’s Chief Executive in March 2012. These will then be fully considered.