The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the Pig Veterinary Society (PVS) have welcomed the announcement that from today (18 December) porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) is a notifiable disease in England.

John Blackwell, Senior Vice President of the British Veterinary Association, said:

“From today pig-keepers will be required to contact APHA if they have any suspicion of PED in their livestock - this is a step in the right direction and a result of joined up working between the industry, the veterinary profession and policy makers. PED is a devastating disease and we hope these measures will be sufficient to protect animals and pig-keepers in England from future outbreaks. We are encouraged by current proposals to make PED notifiable in Scotland and are keen to see similar measures in place across the rest of the UK.”

Dr Mandy Nevel, President of the Pig Veterinary Society, said:

“The Pig Veterinary Society was actively involved in the decision to make PED notifiable in England and we fully support the decision. Whilst we hope PED does not come into England, the legislation will facilitate rapid diagnosis, control and eradication in the event of a case occurring. We urge the rest of the UK to take similar action.”