Caution urged in Scottish Government response to Kinnaird Review

The Kinnaird Review of Scottish Government Veterinary Surveillance has been published and recommends a programme of reduction of Disease Surveillance Centres and the centralisation of laboratory testing services at one location.

Currently Veterinary surveillance is provided by the Scottish Agricultural College through eight Disease Surveillance Centres - in Aberdeen, Ayr, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Inverness, Perth, St Boswells and Thurso. There is also a central diagnostic laboratory in Edinburgh.

Commenting on the report, Scottish Conservative Rural Affairs Spokesman Alex Fergusson MSP said:

"Effective monitoring of endemic disease surveillance depends on rapid response from detection of the potentially diseased animal, through swift transport to the nearest Disease Surveillance Centre to final examination within a sophisticated scientific laboratory."

"Any reduction in the number of DSCs and any moves to centralise laboratory services can only lead to an increase in the timescale within which proper disease surveillance and monitoring can take place. Therefore, extreme caution is needed before the Scottish Government accepts and acts on findings."

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