This document was produced by MAFF as a specific response to the FMD outbreak in the UK in 2001 and was made available on their website. Risk Assessments and specific recommendations related to the conditions in the field at the time and should be viewed in this context as they may not be applicable to outbreaks occuring under different circumstances.
Foot and mouth disease
9 April 2001

MAFF: Veterinary Risk Assessment No.9: What is the risk of causing new outbreaks of FMD if deer parks are open to the public?

1. Summary of risks

If deer parks are open to the public there is a risk that new outbreaks of FMD will occur. Infection may result from contaminated persons or accompanying animals entering the park and subsequently passing on infection to deer there, or by persons or accompanying animals becoming contaminated while in the deer park and passing on infection to other susceptible livestock at a later time.

The factors considered to be most responsible for increasing this risk are:

• contact with infected premises or premises where animals have been exposed to the risk of infection prior to arrival at a deer park
• contact with livestock prior to arrival at a deer park
• failure to disinfect footware prior to arrival at a deer park
• proximity of the deer park to livestock areas, including infected premises and premises where animals have been exposed to the risk of infection
• presence of accompanying animals
• failure to limit access for persons or accompanying animals from footpaths and roads to grazing areas
• failure to limit access for deer to footpaths and roads, resulting in deposits of faeces, urine, milk etc.
• contact with deer or other livestock while in the park
• contact with surroundings (including pasture and foliage) while in the deer park
• meteorological and environment conditions which influence virus survival
• failure to disinfect footware after leaving a deer park
• contact with livestock after leaving a deer park· contact with surroundings (including pasture and foliage) after leaving a deer park

Of these, the major factors are

• proximity of the deer park to livestock areas, including infected premises and premises where animals have been exposed to the risk of infection
• contact with livestock prior to arrival at a deer park
• contact with deer or other livestock while in the park
• contact with livestock after leaving the deer park
• failure to limit access for deer and other livestock to footpaths, resulting in deposits of faeces, urine, milk etc.

2. Summary of risk management options

1. Close all deer parks, making public access a criminal offence. Although effective if obeyed the action does not preclude the introduction of infection by local spread, and it is disproportionate to the risk in many parts of the country and not justified on veterinary grounds in those areas.
2. If parks are to open, the risks can be reduced. The public should be asked to avoid walking amongst deer or any other livestock, and, in particular, NEVER to handle or touch animals. They should also use any disinfectant footbaths or pads which the parkowner may choose to provide.
3. Those who keep or handle susceptible livestock in the course of their work are most likely to have been exposed to and contaminated by FMD virus. Form A and D premises are controlled by statute: elsewhere the risk diminishes with distance as follows:

• within 3km of Infected Premises
• within Infected Area
• within Controlled Areas:
• At Risk Areas
• Provisionally Free Areas
• elsewhere

Risks are also reduced where parks are sited in urban areas, remote from agricultural land and livestock holdings.

3. Recommended action

1. Every risk, however small, can be diminished by appropriate action. There is, however, a balance to be struck between the need to control FMD and the need to do no more damage than is essential to important industries such as tourism.
2. It has already been concluded (VRA no.4) that there is no veterinary justification for closing all footpaths or preventing all public access to land, and that a more measured response, which takes some account of both public perception and of the real risk, is required. The same is true of public access to deer parks.
3. Public access to Form A and Form D premises is already prohibited. Beyond these, in diminishing order of risk, we have infected and controlled areas (the latter divided into 'at risk' and 'provisionally free' areas), and at some future date, areas not subject to any FMD controls. Within infected areas the risk is greatest within 3km of an infected place.
4. Although the actual risk is small, public access to deer parks situated in Infected Areas should be prohibited at present.
5. Access to deer parks in At Risk and Provisionally Free Controlled Areas should be permitted, subject to the following precautions (which need to be publicized) being observed:
• people who keep or work with susceptible livestock should not enter deer parks
• people who do not keep or work with susceptible livestock should be allowed entry to deer parks provided that they:
• wear clean clothes and footwear, and wash before entering and after leaving the park
• avoid walking amongst deer or other livestock
• never touch or handle deer or other livestock
• do not walk dogs, even on a lead, when there may be livestock other than deer in the park
• take any waste, including food, home
• use any disinfectant footpads or baths which the parkowner provides.

Contributors:

Dr A I Donaldson IAH, Pirbright Laboratory
Dr L Kelly Risk Research Dept, VLA, Weybridge
C Livesey Risk Research Dept, VLA, Weybridge
K C Taylor Veterinary Consultant
Dr M Wooldridge Head of Risk Research Dept, VLA, Weybridge