OK everyone – here are the diseases that are on the bill to extend the powers of slaughter, also listed are the animals they affect and also main countries the diseases are found. You truly have nothing to worry about, even my mind is set at rest after the discussions I’ve had about this today. However, I will point out diseases listed as 1, 16, 17, 18 were already on the bill – the others listed are the amendments (additions) – the ones in bold type affect horses.
The last section mentioned shows, if your animal is in an area and affected or deemed a risk – your animal(s) can and will be slaughtered if it is necessary. It is ALREADY law.
As for the link to passports – it doesn’t matter if your horse has one or not – even new forest ponies, etc are covered by this law – so what difference does it make if they have some paperwork about it?
Here is the list:
1 Foot and Mouth
“Wild cloven hooved animals” cattle, sheep, pigs, goats. HORSES ARE RESISTANT TO FMD. Worldwide distribution, last UK outbreak 2001, last outbreak prior to this 1960.
2 Swine Vesticular Disease
Pigs only (eradicated in Britain)
3 Peste des petits ruminants
Sheep and Goats (Cattle are carriers) mainly countries like Ghana, Nigeria etc.
4 Lumpy Skin Disease
Cattle. Found in Africa.
5 Bluetongue
Sheep, Cattle, Goats, and wild ruminants (Mainly on African continent, North America, Asia and Europe)
6 African Horse Sickness
Equestrians, however antibodies have been detected in sheep, goats, dogs, and camels – Epidemic to the African Continent
7 Classical Swine Fever
Pigs and Hogs. Present in most of Europe
8 Newcastle Disease
Poultry and Birds. Last UK outbreak 1984 in pigeons.
9 Vesicular Stomatitis
Cattle, HORSES, Pigs sheep and goats. Only ever been confirmed cases in North and South America
10 Rinderpest
Cattle and European Pigs. Endemic to India and Africa, parts of Asia.
11 Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
Cattle only. UK been free of disease since 1898, USA since 1892, Australia since 1973. Now present in Africa, parts of India, China and the middle East.
12 Rift Valley Fever
Sheep, cattle and Man. Countries such as Eygypt, Senegal, and Mauritania have had ‘recent’ outbreaks
13 Sheep Pox and Goat Pox
Affects sheep and goats. Found in South East Europe, Africa and Asia.
14 African Swine Fever
Pigs and Hogs. Present in most of Europe – last outbreak was before 1980.
15 Avian Influenza
Birds only. Worldwide distribution of cases.
16 Cattle Plague
Animal Health Act – says all animals affected with Cattle plague will be slaughtered, inclusive of any animal that has been housed / in the same herd as an infected animal and the slaughter of which deemed necessary to prevent spread of disease.
17 Pleuro-pneumonia
Any cattle suspected of being affected with pleuro-pneumonia will be slaughtered, inclusive of any animal that has been housed / in the same herd as an infected animal and the slaughter of which deemed necessary to prevent spread of disease.
18 Swine Fever
Any swine suspected of being affected with pleuro-pneumonia will be slaughtered, inclusive of any animal that has been housed / in the same herd as an infected animal and the slaughter of which deemed necessary to prevent spread of disease.
In reference to other diseases
In this section of the Act – all animals are included – inclusive horses. However this part of this bill has never changed. Had the relevant minister ordered horses slaughtered last year – this would have happened.
Basically the act already states that if the Minister, makes a direction that a disease is of a high enough concern – i.e. Foot and Mouth outbreak last year, the Minister can order the slaughter of any animal which is either,
1. affected with
2. suspected of being affected with
3. or has been exposed to the disease concerned.
If an animal is slaughtered under an order as such, compensation will be paid.
Regards
Nicola
PS - If you want details on any of these particular diseases let me know, I will say though - they are not for the faint hearted! They are rather descriptive.
**Please note this is all taken from copies of Animal Health Act 1981, The Animal Health Bill 2001. Diease information comes from The Merck Veteringary Manual (7th Edition).**
The ideas behind these schemes are good, and to make it uniform is wonderful. But yes it overlaps and charging to re-register them for a passport or ULN is rather unfair to the sensible people that joined them in the first instance. (If it was down to me I'd say have everyone who has ID papers should automatically get passports - but as I said - sadly I don't write the policies!) 
