The 'Lessons to be Learned' Inquiry to FMD has released its final report, see the full item for a brief summary

The final report of this inquiry has now been published, and seeks to examine the official handling of the FMD epidemic and make recommendations for the future based on the lessons that have been learned. Unsurprisingly, many of the 80 recommendations coming out of the inquiry relate to animal disease avoidance and the strategies that should be in place for dealing with future outbreaks. However, several points are made in the report that reinforce the views expressed by the BMC in its submission to the inquiry; - the report acknowledges that ‘…the widespread closure of footpaths, with no straightforward mechanism for reopening them, was a mistake.’ (p. 9).

The efforts of the BMC and other organisations to advise members to abide by footpath closures is noted as is the severe impact of the countryside closure. The BMC worked hard to negotiate for reopening and it is hoped that more effort would go into establishing mechanisms for this in the future. - communication, the report notes that communications were poor in many instances and describes the problems that resulted. In line with the BMC recommendation, the need for an effective communication strategy backed by accurate and up to date information gets a high priority in the report. - the inability of the contingency plans to cope with an outbreak on the scale of the 2001 FMD epidemic is highlighted. Much of the report seeks to address these shortcomings. One striking statistic is that the cost of the outbreak to tourism is estimated as being up to £3.2billion, whereas the cost to agriculture and the food industry totals £525million. This drives home the much greater impact that was made on tourism.

 In some ways the publication of this report will draw a line under last years trauma, many will hope so. One thing though is clear through access work since foot and mouth – the importance of tourism to the rural economy and the place of walking and climbing in this is much more widely appreciated now by policy makers for the countryside. This can only be of benefit to recreational users! See http://www.fmd-lessonslearned.org.uk/ for more details on the inquiry and report.

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