Transparency data

FHI Quarterly Report - 1 July to 30 September 2019

Updated 15 November 2019

Applies to England and Wales

1. Finfish Programmes

2. Finfish Disease Surveillance and Compliance

The quarter ended with 88% of the total annual routine finfish disease surveillance programme for 2019 completed and all core programmes on target for completion by the end of the calendar year. Industry compliance with conditions of authorisation remains high, with just one breach in authorisation conditions reported in this period which was successfully resolved through appropriate enforcement follow-up action. Significant effort has been made by all Fish Health Inspectors during a busy summer period to complete as much of the routine compliance and disease surveillance programme for the year as possible in preparation for a no-deal EU-exit. This is because a no-deal EU-exit would require temporary diversion of most Inspectorate staff to respond to increased trade inspection and certification pending implementation of additional resources. The next and final quarter of the year is most critical for programme completion which runs on a calendar year basis. The overall programme is on target and the Programme Managers are monitoring the next quarter closely.

SVC Surveillance – Falling water temperatures at the end of the quarter allowed the SVC surveillance programme to resume, with a small number of SVC disease surveillance inspections completed. By the end of the quarter the programme was 99% complete.

KHV Surveillance – The KHV surveillance programme was the priority for the summer period as water temperatures reached their highest. Although initially off to a slower start due to the cooler and wetter June, the programme was successfully completed for 2019 with 129 routine disease surveillance inspections carried out on carp farms, with no incidence of KHV disease found. In addition, KHV surveillance was conducted on fisheries subject to controls for this disease, with 26 sites requiring inspection to monitor for recurrence of the disease and for compliance with the conditions of the Confirmed Designation Notice in force. Compliance remains very high with good industry co-operation and no enforcement action necessary. The quarter closed very positively with 100% of the KHV surveillance programme complete for 2019.

Gyrodactylus salaris – wild fish monitoring - Eight samples were collected for the Gyrodactylus salaris surveillance programme in wild salmonids, this is a highly pathogenic parasite which UK waters remain free from. Heavy rain and turbidity meant that two of the planned 10 samples could not be collected. However, all major river catchments are covered under a five-year rolling surveillance programme and the remaining schedule will be adjusted to make up the shortfall. This sample programme would not be possible without the expertise and assistance of the wild fish survey teams in the Environment Agency and National Resource Wales.
Import sampling programme – Minimal activity on the import sampling programme in this quarter with a single sample carried out on a consignment of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus), imported from Iceland for the biological control of sea lice in Atlantic salmon. The sample was screened for a range of viral diseases important to the salmon industry, including the notifiable diseases Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA), VHS, and IHN. All tests were negative.

3. Shellfish Programmes

4. Shellfish Disease Surveillance and Compliance

The shellfish programme started in earnest as water temperatures reached the required threshold. The quarter ended with the total shellfish disease surveillance programme at 50% completion, the programmes will continue through the autumn period and are on target for completion by end of the year. Disease surveillance inspections were carried out for Oyster herpesvirus-1 microvariant (OsHV-1 µvar), and for the parasites Bonamia ostreae and Bonamia exitiosa, Marteilia refringens. Industry compliance with conditions of authorisation and disease controls remains high, with no non-compliance findings or enforcement actions required.

5. Confirmation of Notifiable Disease

14 Confirmed Designation (CD) notices were issued in this quarter, all for the control of KHV disease in carp (Cyprinus carpio) in recreational coarse fisheries. Through the CD’s movement restrictions and additional biosecurity measures - such as equipment disinfection - further spread of the disease is prevented. The affected sites are in Merseyside, Essex, Somerset, Suffolk, Buckinghamshire, Staffordshire, Middlesex, Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, Lancashire, West Sussex. Further details can be found at: Controls of fish and shellfish diseases in England and Wales

There was also a recurrence of KHV disease in a fishery subject to controls for a KHV disease outbreak the previous year. The control period will be extended for at least another year, effectively starting over. Outbreaks of KHV disease in recreational coarse fisheries are to be expected for the time of year however, the number of confirmed cases this year is lower than it has been in recent years, which may be due to the cooler start to the summer.

A recurrence of OsHV-1 µvar disease was confirmed in Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas on a shellfish farm on the Kent coast. The affected site reported mortality in stocks in late August/ early September when sea water temperatures were reaching their highest. The farm is known to have infected stocks and is already within a control area for this disease and subject to long term movement restrictions.

6. Disease and Mortality Reports and Investigations

This was the busiest quarter year to date with a high number of mortality reports received by the FHI, the majority relating to managed coarse fisheries. Of these, the FHI investigated 44 reports on suspicion of notifiable disease or because notifiable disease could not be ruled out. This is not unusual for the time of year. Two cases of Carp edema virus (CEV) were detected in the ornamental koi sector – although not subject to statutory control the FHI continue to monitor for this virus when conducting disease investigations in carp.

7. Enforcement and Better Regulation

Border Force Engagement – Work on the Defra and Border Force strategic relationship, established in 2015 and reported in the last quarter, has progressed further with completion of an extensive prioritisation exercise conducted across Defra agencies involved in activities at points of entry. The FHI contributed to this providing data on live aquatic animals and a review of levels of engagement with Border Force. The outcome to this was that aquatic animals have been allocated a high level of priority (priority 5 out of 14) in the Defra prioritised list for Border Force when there are competing priorities. The Defra-Border Force National Co-operation Agreement was finalised and approved in July.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 – In August the FHI were inspected by the Investigatory Powers Commissioners Office (IPCO), as part of a wider review of Defra regulatory bodies holding RIPA capabilities to ensure ongoing compliance. The review was extensive covering structure and responsibilities, covert capabilities, documentation, records and policies – particularly concerning use of social media and open source material - and training. The final report is pending – however the preliminary outcome was very positive, especially regarding our alignment of forms and processes with Defra and the latest RIPA authorisation. Investigation into supply of non-native species – An investigation was conducted into the potential illegal supply of large sturgeon from an authorised aquaculture production business (APB) to a fishery. This proved to be a permitted movement for ornamental purposes into an ornamental pond, with no breach of legislation.

8. Policy, Legislation, Trade Issues

EU Exit – Exports - Meetings have continued this quarter, primarily through the forum of Defra’s shellfish virtual team, about the continuance of trade in live bivalve molluscs from Category B harvesting waters into the EU under a no-deal EU-exit. The virtual team brought together expertise from several sources, including the FHI, to identify the most appropriate and acceptable form of export health certification for live bivalve molluscs, principally edible mussel Mytilus edulis, destined for depuration in EU member states. Confirmation was obtained from the European Commission that the model export health certificate published in Regulation 1251/2008 on imports into the EU of aquatic animals for farming, relaying, put and take fisheries, and open ornamental facilities was appropriate for trade in live bivalve molluscs from Category B waters. However, the attestation in the certificate that the animals originate from an aquaculture farm under the supervision of the competent authority, has been raised as an issue in relation to the certification of wild harvested bivalve molluscs. Several options have been proposed in order to address this, however a solution has yet to be finalised. Significant work has continued this quarter to identify additional resources to manage the increase in export inspection and certification in the event of a no-deal EU-exit. Ten of the IFCA’s (Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities) have agreed – availability of staff resources permitting - to provide support to the FHI for assistance with the inspection and certification of shellfish; contracts are being drafted. As the IFCA network does not extend across Wales, and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have stated that they do not have the capacity to support export health certification, alternative means of assistance for certification have been sought for Wales. The largest volume of exports of mussels originate in the Menai Straits and the local authority, Gwynedd County Council, has agreed to provide officials to undertake inspection and certification where they have the capacity to do so. The FHI will arrange training for IFCA officials and members of Gwynedd County Council. In addition, the FHI has recruited an additional administrator to produce Export Health Certificate’s and is seeking further temporary certifying officers from across Cefas.

EU-Exit – Other - The FHI has been involved in a number of other EU-exit related activities including contributing to the development of communications information for stakeholders, process mapping for export trade, a workshop on returned consignments, updates of the third country application to the European Union, the EU-exit customer contact project, the regular updating of the operational readiness register, and the completion of a minimum standards log for aquatic animal health.

The Official Control Regulations (EU) 2017/625 (OCR) - Addresses official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products. It replaces the previous Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 on official food and feed controls. The OCR entered into force on 27 April 2017 with the main application date being 14 December 2019. Defra Legal are in the process of drafting statutory instruments for the transposition of the Regulation into English law. This offered an opportunity for amendments in relation to long standing problems with The Trade in Animal and Animal Products Regulations 2011 to resolve drafting anomalies, and to clarify the powers of the Secretary of State in relation to aquatic animal health. Cefas MSS MoU - Cefas has a longstanding memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Marine Scotland Science (MSS) in relation to mutual support in case of a major incident or disaster. This includes provision of laboratory and Inspectorate services in the event of a major aquatic animal disease outbreak, requiring more resource than the lead organisation has available. The FHI initiated a review of this MoU and the aquatic animal health sections are now ready for MSS input. Other Cefas contributors are finalising the revised draft, which will shortly be sent to MSS comment and then for approval by the two CEO’s. The FHI contributed comments to Defra’s draft biosecurity narrative ‘Safeguarding our plants and animals’. Defra Spending Review – In July the FHI worked with Cefas project management to provide data for the impact of flat rate funding, 3% and 5% budget cuts yearly up to 2023 as required for the Defra spend review. This was a significant amount of effort with a short deadline.

9. Representation

Virtual Shellfish Team – a virtual team convened by Defra with expertise from several sources, to identify the most appropriate and acceptable form of export health certification for live bivalve molluscs, destined for depuration in EU member states and the resources required to deliver this increase in work. Aquatic Animal Health Defra Stakeholder/ Industry Meeting – A Senior Inspector and Senior Trade and Policy Advisor represented the FHI at the Defra AAH annual stakeholder meeting on the 2nd July. Presenting the 2018 update on aquatic animal health for England and Wales and an overview of EU exit in relation to trade. Visit from the new Permanent Secretary – The new Permanent Secretary, visited the laboratory on the 30th July. Various members of the FHI met with her and presented an overview of the work of the FHI. Aquatic Animal Health Devolved Authorities Quarterly Update – Policy Advisor and Head of the FHI represented the FHI at the quarterly aquatic animal health Devolved Authorities meeting on the 23rd August. Coarse Fish Farmers Conference, Sparsholt College – A Senior Inspector attended the annual coarse fish farmers conference hosted at Sparsholt College on the 5th September to give an update on Inspectorate activities and aquatic animal health status for the past year.

Other - In addition, Inspectors provided Inspectorate support to overseas Cefas projects on aquatic animal health and aquaculture in Ghana and St Lucia respectively.