The National Contingency Plan for Exotic Animal Diseases was laid before Parliament on Monday 10 December.

This Plan sets out the operational arrangements Defra will put in place to deal with any occurrence of foot and mouth disease, avian influenza or Newcastle disease. The plan is also applicable to other exotic animal diseases. It is composed of two elements: Defra’s Framework Response Plan for Exotic Animal Diseases, outlining systems, structures, roles and responsibilities during an outbreak of disease, and Defra’s Overview of Emergency Preparedness which provides details of our preparedness and operational response.

It replaces Defra’s Exotic Animal Disease Generic Contingency Plan which was laid before Parliament on 13 December 2006.

Defra’s Contingency Plan is very much a “living document”. It will be subject to ongoing revision taking on the latest developments in science, research, and epidemiological modelling together with lessons identified from outbreaks.

To meet the provisions of the Animal Health Act, the Plan will also be subject to formal annual review.