The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is the Defra agency responsible for

maintaining the health and welfare of our national herds and flocks. As an Official
Veterinarian (OV) you will be undertaking work on behalf of APHA. This module
explains the terms under which this work is done.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Defra is a UK government department responsible for policy and regulations on

environmental, food and rural issues. Defra's priorities are to grow the rural economy,
improve the environment and safeguard animal and plant health.

Animal and Plant Health Agency

APHA is an executive agency of Defra responsible for veterinary controls in the fields of
animal health and welfare and international trade in Great Britain and for providing
Defra and other sectors of the animal health industry with specialist veterinary research,
consultancy, animal disease surveillance and diagnostic services. 

It is responsible for the delivery of Defra's policies in England and those of the Welsh
and Scottish Governments in their respective territories.

The term official veterinarian is used to describe private practice veterinarians who
perform work on behalf of an EU member state.

Previously OVs were commonly referred to as Local Veterinary Inspectors or LVIs but
this term is inadequate in describing the role performed or the status held.  The work
performed by official veterinarians is normally of a statutory nature, that is, required by
law and is often undertaken at public expense.

Private practice veterinarians who undertake companion animal export procedures and
certification, charge their clients directly for their services in accordance with BVA
guidelines on charging for professional services.

The responsibilities of OVs when they are carrying out work on behalf of APHA include full
compliance with legal and professional responsibilities, full compliance with all APHA
instructions, requirements and standard operating procedures, animal welfare, biosecurity and
health and safety considerations.

Responsibilitites

All keepers and owners responsible for animals, including farmed poultry, must ensure that their
animals are provided with a suitable environment and diet, are free to exhibit normal behaviour
patterns, are housed with, or apart from, other animals (depending on what is applicable) and are
protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease.
Failure to act

A person with responsibility for an animal may commit an offence if an act, or failure to act, causes an
animal to suffer unnecessarily. If a person does not provide for an animal’s welfare needs, they can be
banned from owning animals, fined and/or sent to prison.

The Five Freedoms :Answer...

Freedom from hunger and thirst

Freedom from discomfort

Freedom from pain, injury or disease

Freedom to express normal behaviour

Freedom from fear and distress

What is a Notifiable Disease?

A disease named in the Animal Health Act 1981 (as amended) or an Order made under that Act

If anyone suspects Notifiable Disease, they must immediately inform this to a police constable.

What does this mean in practice?

It means that anyone suspecting a Notifiable Disease must by law inform their local APHA office without
delay.

What is a Notifiable Disease?

A disease named in the Animal Health Act 1981 (as amended) or an Order made under that Act

If anyone suspects Notifiable Disease, they must immediately inform this to a police constable.

What does this mean in practice?

It means that anyone suspecting a Notifiable Disease must by law inform their local APHA office without
delay.

A Notifiable Disease may be endemic, exotic and/ or zoonotic.

An Endemic Notifiable Disease is one which is already present in GB such as bovine TB.

An Exotic Notifiable Disease is one which is not normally present in GB but can be introduced via illegal
imports or wildlife such as rabies and equine infectious anaemia.

A Zoonotic Notifiable Disease is one which is transmitted to humans from animals.

Endemic and exotic Notifiable Diseases may also be zoonotic. Rabies would be an example of an exotic,
zoonotic Notifiable Disease.

There are two different procedures for the management of Notifiable Disease investigations – these are
the Consultationcase and the Report case.

Consultation Case

o It occurs when the Veterinary surgeon considers that a Notifiable Disease may be present but
that the probability of this is very low.

o A consultation case takes place between a veterinary surgeon and an APHA duty vet.

o The veterinary surgeon must wait on the premises until the APHA vet arrives and remain at the
premises until the consultation with the APHA vet is completed and a decision has been made to
confirm or negate the presence of a notifiable disease. The consequences of the Veterinary
Surgeon leaving the premises before this time are that the case will revert to a report case.

A consultation case takes place at farms, slaughterhouses or the veterinary surgery but not at markets.

APHA aim to have a vet on the premises asap and generally within 2 hours but this may be longer
depending on the journey time from the nearest APHA office to the premises. In the meantime the vet
must remain on the premises and discourage the movement of the affected animal, other stock,
products, people or vehicles and should consider onsite biosecurity.

Report Case

o A report case occurs whenever a Notifiable Disease is suspected as the most likely diagnosis.

o In the report case full formal restrictions are imposed at the time of notification. This
immediately prevents all movements on and off the premises including animals, products,
people and vehicles. In addition widespread notifications are distributed to stakeholders with
immediate effect and prior to further investigation by APHA. 

o Suspicions of a Notifiable Disease by any person other than a veterinary surgeon, whatever the
premises type, must be managed as report cases.

o If a person other than a vet suspects a Notifiable Disease the notification to APHA must be
managed as a report case.

In additions, a report case occurs at any premises where a Veterinary Surgeon is not present or at
markets, shows and sales even if a Veterianry Surgeon is present.

Once again APHA will aim to have a vet on the premises asap. While waiting for the vet to arrive the
report case is subject to immediate statutory measures to reflect the greater level of risk. There will be
immediate movement restrictions.
In the event that a Veterinary Surgeon is notifying suspicion of a Notifiable Disease at a premises their
role will be to remain on the premises, to enforce statutory movement restrictions of stock, products,
people and vehicles and to consider onsite biosecurity.

What to do while waiting?

o Isolate the animal until an investigation has been completed

o Restrict movement of animals, products, vehicles or people into or out of the premises until an
investigation has been completed

o Keep records in the daybook of all instructions received from the APHA Duty Vet and confirm
that they have been followed.

o Don't use disinfectants on or near animals or carcases suspected of disease, while waiting for
the APHA vet to attend

For some diseases a 3km protection zone and a 10km surveillance zone are set up around the premises
where the disease is confirmed and specific restrictions will exist within these areas as appropriate to
the disease. These remain in force for a variable time depending on the incubation period of the disease
in question, the time taken to control the disease and subsequent demonstration of disease control.