Simulation exercise: Classical swine fever in the United Kingdom

12 to 13 June

Dr Nigel Gibbens, Chief Veterinary Officer, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), United Kingdom, informed  the OIE  that a simulation exercise on classical swine fever called “Exercise Walnut”, will take place on 12 and 13 June 2013 in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland where national and local disease control centres will be set up.

The overall aim of this exercise is to review and check the Governments’ contingency plans, procedures and policies for the control and eradication of an outbreak of classical swine fever (CSF) with a view to identifying improvements in the plans, legislation, instructions, structures and procedures.

The objectives of this simulation exercise are to:

  1. demonstrate that the Government is taking the threat of exotic animal disease seriously and that it has effective policies and contingency plans in place; 
  2.  exercise the integration and interaction between the strategic and tactical levels within the United Kingdom and with the operational response of the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) and to demonstrate the integrated response to an outbreak of CSF; 
  3.  exercise the multi-agency response to an outbreak of CSF in conjunction with our operational partners both nationally and locally;
  4.  increase awareness of Government’s emergency preparedness work amongst stakeholders;
  5. exercise the new outbreak response model, structures and processes that have been implemented by AHVLA, including operational resourcing;
  6. plan and exercise the recovery from an outbreak of CSF;
  7. review and identify issues to be addressed and areas for improvement throughout the planning, implementation and evaluation stages of the exercise.


In addition to the live-play on 12-13 June 2013 there are three facilitated workshops, a field component and a separate laboratory capacity tabletop exercise.

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Animal Health Information Department
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
[email protected]
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