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Pathogens should not be regulated by DEFRA |
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Friday, 14 December 2007 |
Animal and human pathogens should be governed by a single regulatory framework, and handled by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) rather than DEFRA, a major review has said.
The Callaghan Review was commissioned by Secretary of State for the
Environment Hilary Benn to take forward recommendations made by the HSE
in its report on biosecurity at the Pirbright site in 2007.
Hilary Benn said in tresponse to the review: “I fully accept all the
recommendations made by Sir Bill Callaghan in this review. In
particular, I agree that DEFRA should not continue as regulator of
laboratories handling of animal pathogens. This is because of the clear
need to have a single independent regulatory body."
In Scotland, John Scott MSP, Conservative spokesman on rural affairs
and the environment, said: "We have said all along that the Government
should not act as both regulator and customer and we welcome the
Government’s acceptance of this recommendation.
"This report highlights Defra’s weakness as a regulator and while the
system clearly needs to change, it is a denial of his responsibility of
office for Hilary Benn to claim that ‘any regulatory system is only as
good as the people being regulated’. The Government cannot abdicate
responsibility in this way and must face up to the reality that it was
their negligent approach to biosecurity that led to the outbreak of
foot and mouth which has cost the taxpayer £50 million and the farming
industry more than twice as much.
"The UK Government’s handling of this situation has been a total fiasco
from start to finish and Scottish farmers and crofters have been left
to pick up the bill, as evidenced by the ongoing cull of ewes in
Shetland taking place almost 1,000 miles away from the source of the
outbreak.
"What is important now is that the Government acts upon Sir Bill
Callaghan’s recommendations and establishes a regulatory framework
which reduces the risk of accidental release of pathogens to zero."
No one has commented on this article.
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