The UK House of Lords has defeated the government over the controversial Animal Health Bill, which seeks to give officials more power during a foot and mouth disease outbreak.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Peers voted by a majority of 171 to 123 to amend the Animal Health Bill to give priority to vaccination of animals rather than slaughter.
The amendment would mean that during a foot and mouth epidemic the priority would be to vaccinate healthy animals to prevent the spread of the disease, rather than previous policy to slaughter both healthy and infected animals.
The vaccination amendment was put forward by the Countess of Mar, who condemned the “bloodbath” of last year’s epidemic.
The National Farmers’ Union said vaccination was not necessarily always appropriate, but should be an option. An NFU spokeswoman was quoted as saying by BBC Online: “No outbreak is the same and we cannot afford to be rigidly scripted on what action might be required.”
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataAgriculture Minister Lord Whitty stressed that even with a vaccination programme, the disease cannot be wiped out without the destruction of diseased stock.
He also said that it could be as long as two years before the policy could be implemented.
