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ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE IN SCOTLAND - IMPLEMENTING THE ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE STRATEGY
2. Roles and responsibilities AND Partnership working
Successful delivery of the Strategy can only be achieved through Partnership between the industry, Government and other stakeholders and delivery partners e.g. local authorities and the veterinary profession. One of the principal aims of the Strategy is to clarify roles and responsibilities for players in the animal health and welfare world. It is important that everyone is aware of what they are expected to do, as well as the boundaries of others' responsibilities. (Section 5 outlines the roles of some of these organisations in more depth.)
In Scotland we have an advantage in building Partnership; being a small country means that there are close links between people in diverse areas of the animal health and welfare world. It is relatively easy for us to talk to one another, building on established channels of communication. Reflecting this, the Implementation Plan has also been developed in conjunction with stakeholders.
The main individuals able to improve animal health and welfare standards are animal keepers themselves. Government will support them through the setting of standards and the dissemination of best practice. In particular the Strategy will help provide them with information to support their decision-making.
2.1 Disease Catalogue
Animals are susceptible to a wide range of diseases and conditions, some of which pose much more of a threat than others, in terms of animal and human health. For effective disease control it is important that all players have a clear idea of which diseases Government intervenes in, and why.
To facilitate this understanding, a catalogue of diseases is being developed to provide a concise summary of the main animal diseases, syndromes and conditions that represent a threat to animal health and welfare. For each disease or condition, information will be included about its impact, and the justification for public sector intervention. The possible types of public intervention, and the costs and benefits of these will be explored, alongside current methods of intervention. The scope of stakeholder responsibility will also be set out.
The Catalogue is being produced by an external expert and the results will feed into the work on more detailed profiles for the Veterinary Surveillance Strategy.
Timetable: The Catalogue itself will be published within the final Animal Health and Welfare Strategy in 2004.
2.2 Review of Government intervention
Once the Disease Catalogue has been completed, we will use it to ensure that the approach to animal health and welfare risks is consistent. The extent and the way in which Government intervenes in various animal health and welfare issues has evolved over many years, but the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy provides a good opportunity to review our approach. We want to ensure that limited public resources are invested where they are most needed.
SEERAD, Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government will review the reasons behind public intervention in current notifiable diseases. Reasons for intervention include:
Protecting human health;
Protecting the interests of the wider economy and society;
Securing opportunities for trade; and
Protecting and promoting the welfare of animals.
The importance given to each disease will be assessed, and the justification for intervention set out in a transparent way. This work will inform decisions about areas of future research.
Timetable: Work in this area will begin after the Disease Catalogue is published with the final Strategy in 2004.
2.3 Stakeholders and the Scottish Implementation Plan
Stakeholders across Scotland will have a pivotal role to play in the implementation of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy in Scotland.
In Scotland the Animal Health and Welfare Stakeholder Group
1 will keep a regular eye on the Strategy and its implementation. The stakeholder group meets regularly to discuss issues of mutual concern and ensure that the development of policy is understood by those it affects and that they are also given the opportunity to contribute to the appropriateness and effectiveness of its delivery. The minutes of the stakeholder group since the beginning of 2003 will be published on the Executive's animal health and welfare webpage. Given the importance of a strong science base to underpin the Strategy, scientific organisations will be co-opted into the group for specific issues relating to their area of interest.
However, the Executive recognises that there is a wider range of interest beyond this Group who will wish to contribute to the Strategy. As part of the annual review of the Implementation Plan we will engage with these interests to discuss the forthcoming plan of activity. One option for doing this would be an annual Conference along the lines of the main Scottish stakeholder event for the initial consultation on the Strategy.
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