Wales modernises general movement licences
Licences have been made clearer to ensure they refer to all notifiable diseases, not just foot and mouth.
Changes have been made to general movement licences (GMLs) for livestock in Wales. Announcing the move yesterday (7 May), the Welsh government said the amends clarify the requirements and reflect changes to legislation.
GMLs were established after the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak to control the movement of livestock, but have not been updated for five years.
"Following a discussion with the farming industry, we decided to modernise the GMLs," said deputy farming and food minister Rebecca Evans.
"These are largely technical changes but all livestock keepers are encouraged to take the opportunity to familiarise themselves with them and make sure they meet the requirements when moving animals."
Licences have been made clearer to ensure they refer to all notifiable diseases, not just foot and mouth - 'the owner/keeper shall inspect the cattle to be moved for signs of any notifiable disease (including foot and mouth disease).'
The changes also allow deer to be moved to non-agricultural premises under the GML, rather than requiring a separate licence.
The licences can be downloaded from the Welsh government's website: http://gov.wales/topics/environmentcountryside/ahw/farmanimaltracing/generalmovementlicences/?lang=en
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