June 5, 2006

FACT says farmers should be compensated if fishes are culled

The UK government should consider compensation if it require fish slaughters in the event of disease outbreaks, said the Fisheries and Angling Conservation Trust Ltd (FACT).

The plea comes in the wake of a discovery of Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia, (VHS), in trout stocks in Yorkshire.

FACT states that while other animal husbandry businesses are entitled to compensation in the case of culling, such is not the case with aquaculture.

This has been a long-standing issue which the government has adamantly ignored, said FACT.

Control of VHS and other serious diseases such as Gyrodactylus Salaris, relies on early reporting and UK fish health relies on that reporting being carried out, said FACT.

The absence of compensation in the event of compulsory slaughter is a potential danger, FACT said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Farms and Rural Affairs (Defra) said that due to the serious nature of VHS, it has placed controls on the entire river catchment. Defra has issued an Order under the Diseases of Fish Act 1937, prohibiting movements of fish to and from the catchment of the River Ouse.

UK researchers are investigating the source of infection and whether any spread has occurred. Wild and farmed fish are being sampled within the catchment to determine the extent of spread of the infection. The farmsite has been cleared of fish and is now being prepared for disinfection.

The UK would be unable to trade live fish with VHS free 'Approved Zones' throughout the EU Community.