FDBusiness.com

The world reference laboratory for foot and mouth disease (FMD) at Pirbright in Surrey has been acknowledged by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN) and OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) as the centre of global expertise on research, surveillance and diagnostics for FMD. Funding of $3 million over five years will be provided to support the laboratory which is part of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)-funded Institute for Animal Health.

This news follows the recent launch of the FAO and OIE global FMD control strategy and puts Pirbright at the centre of the first five-year phase of work.

Dr Jef Hammond, head of the Institute’s World, EU, OIE and national reference laboratories for FMD, says: “The initial phase of the strategy, which includes the funding for our lab, gives us an opportunity on a global scale to implement the measures that we know can work to control FMD. The FAO and OIE are promoting a coordinated approach across the world using effective diagnostics, vaccines and other control measures – many of which were developed here at Pirbright.”

Dr Hammond plans to use the funds to create a dedicated team at Pirbright that will focus on delivering the aims of the global foot and mouth disease control strategy.

The UK has seen the devastating economic impact of FMD with the 2001 outbreak costing at least £8 billion. And the potential impact on food security is enormous, particularly at a time when consumption of animal protein is rising and the global population is set to reach 9 billion by 2050. However, the UK is fortunate in being currently FMD free.

Around the world FMD is endemic in many countries and the global losses are estimated at $5 billion per year. The World Bank has suggested a budget of just under $1 billion over five years to fund the initial programme of work.

Dr Bryan Charleston, head of the Livestock Viral Disease Programme at the Institute, comments “Over the 15 years covered by this strategy and with the funding committed there is a chance to make great strides not only in FMD but to improve veterinary services and control of many livestock diseases across the world. Ultimately we will need to have vaccines against FMD that are at least as effective as existing vaccines but are easier to manufacture and handle. At the Institute we are focused on developing vaccines that can be produced on a large scale without the need for high containment facilities and that are stable at higher temperatures.”