African swine fever outbreak exercise: evaluation

11. Annex C: Summary of lessons identified

1. APHA should undertake a review of all PRIMO breeding company pyramid data and liaise with producers to ensure it is accurately recorded. Data should be reviewed on an annual basis. Lesson Owner: APHA.

2. APHA should undertake an exercise to visually map out all PRIMO pyramids that are held on APHA systems during peacetime. Lesson Owner: APHA.

3. APHA should liaise with industry to arrange opportunities for APHA staff to gain further experience in pig bleeding, and potentially pig handling and snaring, as part of regular staff training and preparedness for an outbreak. Lesson Owner: APHA.

4.SG will liaise with APHA, PVS and SPDCC to look at how best to target messaging to private vets, encouraging them to report unexplained deaths and providing them with more information on clinical signs of swine fevers, which will improve early detection of disease. Lesson Owner: SG.

5. Government and APHA should work together with the SPDCC and GB Pig Core Group to help producers to further develop their own contingency plans in the event of an outbreak of notifiable disease. Lesson Owner: SG

6. Government and APHA should work together with industry to explore in detail the realities of movement restrictions, as laid out in the Diseases of Swine Regulations. Lesson Owner: APHA.

7. APHA should ensure they continue to maintain a relationship between the tracings team in Cardiff and the SPDCC, in order to supplement tracing activities in event of an outbreak. Lesson Owner: APHA.

8. FSS should plan and execute an internal ASF exercise, exploring the measures and actions required in the event of a suspect swine fever case or tracing to an abattoir or meat processing premises. Lesson Owner: FSS.

9. APHA, in conjunction with the UK administrations and industry, should undertake a review of culling and disposal options, reviewing past and present methods as well as those used in other countries. Lesson Owner: APHA.

10. APHA should undertake a review of the number of licenced slaughtermen that are available under contract for disease control purposes. Lesson Owner: APHA.

11. During peacetime, APHA and industry should work together to produce a document detailing guidance for producers on how to complete secondary cleansing and disinfection. Lesson Owner: APHA.

12 Government and industry should continue to promote proper cleansing and disinfection of haulage vehicles used to move livestock, as part of overall good biosecurity practices. Lesson Owner: SG.

13. Government should look into the washing facilities at all abattoirs, and review this with industry to look at how these can be improved. Lesson Owner: SG.

14. UK administrations should commission APHA to carry out a risk assessment that explores the risks of restocking an outdoor pig unit following an outbreak of ASF. Lesson Owner: Lucy Sugden, SG, Defra, WG and DAERA.

15. UK administrations should commission APHA to a review current research and risk assessments on the treatment of waste material infected with ASF and produce clear guidance on options for disposal. Lesson Owner: SG, WG, DAERA and Defra.