Research and analysis

Exercise Silver Birch: final evaluation report

Details of Exercise Silver Birch (2010), which was used to test government contingency plans for an outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease.

Documents

Exercise Silver Birch 2010 National Foot and Mouth Disease Exercise Evaluation and Lessons Identified Report

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Details

This report contains the details of Exercise Silver Birch, the United Kingdom’s national Foot and Mouth Disease exercise in 2010. The primary purpose of Exercise Silver Birch was to test government’s contingency plans for an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease and how Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the UK administrations plan and interact in the event of a medium to large scale outbreak that involves all four administrations. The report evaluates the exercise and records the lessons identified for further action.

It was organised by Animal Health’s Contingency Planning Division on behalf of Defra, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly Government. The Department for Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Ireland were also players in the exercise although the simulated outbreak was restricted to the GB mainland.

Published 1 March 2011