9 (e)
Veterinary supervision of meat inspection.
It is p.ossible, sometimes, to diagnose foot-and-mouth d{sease .. from lesions found at meat inspection which were not obvious during life.· �e Committee, therefore, directed attentio.n. to tho need for careful examinations by moat inspectors in abattotrs, which should always be carried out under active vetqr'.Lnary supervision. The results of such examinations may prove valuable also in tracing sources of outbreaks of the disease. (f) Imported meat as a source qf infection for Europe. While absolute ·proof of the introduction of the virus of foot-and-mouth disease in meat or products of animal origin from infected countries is extremely difficult to obtain, there seems to be little doubt from the overwhelming and accumu� lating circumstantial evidence in several countries in Europe that this takes pla·co.: · Tl10 Commission took action to minimize this risk by recommending that FA0 should appoint a veterinary consultant to visit some infected South American countries and to make recommendations. Tho report of the visit was made available to the Commission. It is understood that tho United Kingdom has pr.onibited the importation of pig moat from certain South American countries as from 1 February 1961. The report of the joint Commission/OIE meeting held in Brussels in June 1960 also makes recommendations concerning especially, exotic types of the virus. (g) Escape of virus from laboratories. The Committee draws attention .. to the bonsiderable amount of evidence which has accumu]ated pointing to outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease caused by virus which has escaped from lab·oratories in several countries in Europe. While such escape of the classical types of the virus are of much importance, disastrous resu_lts. .... could follow the escape of an e�otic type if it were handled in a laboratory. It is essential that tho utmost care be exercised to prevent ·escapes of any virus from any laboratory and the Executive Committee recommends that the attention of the research group. of the Commission's Standing Technical Comipittee be drawn to tho danger and that tl].e group be asked to advise on any measures to minimize the risk. Supplies of antisera and'vaccinos of the types of virus exotic to Europe At tho Seventh Session, the Research Institute (Animal Virus Diseases), Pirbright, Surrey, England, undertook to provide antiserum for laboratory work in tho identification of exotic types of foot-and-mouth disease virus to laboratories in Europe. Details of the conditions under which the anti sera would be supplied wcro discussed and considered at a small informal meeting in Paris in May 1960, at which representatives of the Commission and of 0IE met the Dir�ctor of the Pirbright Institute. The final agreed con diti_ons were published in the· 0IE .Bulletin (Vol. LIII, No. 7-8, p. 1131). These conditions include the signing of requests by the Directors of Veterinary Services R�dtbirectors of the requesting laboratories; the sending to the Pirbright Institute of tho virus strain which the local tests have shown no.t to be type o, A or C; and the use of the antisera only for testing virus from outbreaks within the country concerned. · Tho·· Pirbright Institute undertook also to prepare and stor? supplies of vaccine produced from exotic viruses. A beginning has now been made Priority has been given to the preparation of Asia I in this production. typo vaccine because of the proximity to Europe of disease oaused by this
