Omagh laboratory to remain open
"The Omagh facility is of paramount importance. Without it vast areas to the west of the province would be left without effective surveillance."
Veterinary organisations have welcomed the news that a diagnostic laboratory in Omagh, Co Tyrone, will remain open.
The lab plays a key role in the prevention, detection and monitoring of animal diseases in Northern Ireland.
It was being considered for closure due to financial pressures on the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute. This follows similar cut-backs in surveillance facilities elsewhere in the UK.
Simon Doherty, president of the BVA's Northern Ireland branch, said: "The Omagh facility is of paramount importance. Without it vast areas to the west of the province would be left without effective surveillance."
Whilst BVA (NI) and the Northern Ireland Veterinary Association acknowledged the financial pressures facing DARD and AFBI, Mr Doherty said: "Our high-level concerns are in maintaining adequate levels of disease surveillance and investigation, diagnostic services to support a local industry with a huge export market, food safety, and the ability to protect the interests of that industry in an emergency response situation, should an epizootic disease outbreak occur."
BVA president John Blackwell also stressed the importance of maintaining adequate disease surveillance, noting: "The whole industry and wider society benefits by being in a state of readiness and preparedness for an epizootic outbreak underpinning both animal and public health."
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
