« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Scottish Executive and Food Standards Agency Response to the Report of the Task Force E. coli O157
OVERVIEW
Introduction
1. The
E. coli O157 Task Force was appointed by the Minister for Health and Community Care in September 2000, under the joint sponsorship of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Scotland and the Scottish Executive (SE) Health Department.
2. The Task Force's remit was:
"In light of existing and emerging information on the incidence of
E. coli O157 in Scotland, to
review the risk to health of the public in Scotland and current activities to prevent human infection with
E. coli O157;
assess the effectiveness of the present arrangements for co-ordination of action at national and local level; and
consider what future measures would help protect public health."
3. Members appointed by the Minister, included expertise in epidemiology, public health, veterinary medicine, microbiology, agriculture, water supply, environmental health and consumer interests. Their knowledge and understanding was supplemented by dint of an exciting model of consultation, which encouraged some 140 subject specialists to engage in a series of subject meetings, each with its own membership of speakers and other participants.
4. This inclusive and pragmatic approach allowed the Task Force to examine all the issues relevant to its remit and make 105 recommendations, incorporating areas as diverse as:
animals/husbandry and routes of infection to the environment;
waste recycled to land;
risks to water supplies;
access to the countryside;
risks to the farming community and recreational use of animal pasture;
the food chain;
diagnosis and patient care by health professionals;
person to person spread of infection; and
epidemiology and outbreak control.
Format of this response
5. This document sets out the formal response of the Scottish Executive and the Food Standards Agency to the final report of the
E. coli O157 Task Force, published in June 2001. The introductory sections of the Task Force report include an acknowledgement that "in practice, the scale of the exercise has proved to be larger than anticipated". As such, in order to provide a clear response to each recommendation made by the Task Force, the following substantive chapters list the recommendations and indicate what action has been (or is being) taken as a consequence.
6. This section is focused on three key cross-cutting themes or issues emerging from those individual recommendations: risk; funding; and monitoring implementation.
Risk
7. Many of the individual recommendations made by the Task Force relate to the significant impact likely to be derived from effective communication of priority messages to certain key groups and individuals.
8. The importance of ensuring effective risk communication was acknowledged in the Scottish Executive's "Overview of Risk Guidance", published on 1 October 2001. It sets out, in clear, accessible terms: the range of the Executive's statutory and regulatory responsibilities; definitions of risk analysis, assessment, management and communication; key principles and guidance; and priorities and procedures. It recognises that, essentially, the Executive has a duty to identify hazards which, by dint of their nature or scale, require some form of government intervention in the best interests of the public. The focus is therefore on the possibility of harmful or negative outcomes. The Executive hopes that the new Scottish Science Advisory Committee will, in time, provide another source of expert advice on identifying new risks.
9. The Executive, the Food Standards Agency and others, will take forward the various actions set out in the next and final chapter of this response in order to communicate those priority messages to key groups and individuals, such as farmers, campers, food producers and processors, schools and nurseries. It is worth noting, however, that those priority messages implicitly acknowledge that the public at large have a key role to play in managing and avoiding the risks associated with
E. coli O157, and can do so by adopting fairly simple precautionary measures.
Funding
10. The Task Force were asked to do a difficult and wide-ranging job in a very demanding time-scale. As a consequence, perhaps, the report contained little substantive information relating to the likely cost of implementing the recommendations. That task fell to the Executive and the Food Standards Agency.
11. Having considered the recommendations in detail, we believe that the great majority of the recommendations can be taken forward by utilising or re-ordering existing or planned expenditure.
Monitoring implementation
12. Given the number and range of recommendations to be taken forward, both the Executive and the Food Standards Agency acknowledge the importance of putting in place open and effective arrangements for monitoring implementation activity. The Executive and the Food Standards Agency will therefore submit regular progress reports to public meetings of the Scottish Food Advisory Committee and to the UK Zoonoses Group.
13. The Scottish Food Advisory Committee (SFAC) was established by the Food Standards Act 1999, with the remit of:
giving advice and information to the Food Standards Agency about matters concerned with its functions (including particular matters affecting or otherwise relating to Scotland. The Act requires the Food Standards Agency to take account of such advice or information that is reasonable or practical, whether or not given at the Agency's request);
ensuring that the decisions of the Food Standards Agency, Scotland take proper account of scientific advice, the interests of consumers and other relevant factors. The Committee has been appointed to act collectively in the public interest and not represent specific sectors;
engaging with the routine development of policy and legislation undertaken by the Food Standards Agency in Scotland;
giving advice to the Food Standards Agency, Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Parliament;
helping to establish priorities following requests from the Agency, availability of data from surveillance or research, press coverage of topical issues, and its own judgement. Immediate priorities identified by the Committee are
E. coli O157, Diet and Nutrition and Education and Risk Communication; and
developing that advice in an open and consultative way.
Meetings are held each 6 to 8 weeks and members of the public and media are encouraged to attend. These meetings allow people to meet the Committee informally and to ask questions of the Committee. To encourage openness and raise the profile of the Committee and Agency, meetings take place at a variety of locations and venues throughout Scotland.
14. This element of monitoring implementation of the agreed actions relating to the Task Force recommendations recognises the importance and the value of both involving an independent expert advisory committee and establishing a mechanism for public accountability.
15. The UK Zoonoses Group is the UK-wide body established in line with the recommendations in the BSE Inquiry Report about a more synchronised approach to common problems of food safety and animal and human health matters. The Group is chaired in turn by each of the UK Chief Medical Officers. Members are drawn from relevant UK Government Departments and the devolved administrations. The remit of the group is to:
provide an overview on and means of ensuring overall co-ordination of public health action at the UK, national and local level with regard to zoonotic infections and antimicrobial resistance to those infections in animals and humans;
advise as appropriate the respective Ministers of Agriculture, Health and Environment in the UK on important events in the field of zoonoses, including, where necessary, preventative and curative action;
promote and facilitate activity leading to a better understanding of zoonoses and risks to public health;
ensure an exchange of views within and between central government departments, devolved administrations and local government, on developments in the field of zoonoses and to provide contact points or discussion; and
16. This element of monitoring implementation of the agreed actions relating to the Task Force recommendations acknowledges that the work of the Task Force is relevant to other parts of the UK too and that the support and co-operation of UK Government Departments and devolved administrations may, if appropriate, help to enhance the impact of some associated actions.
« Previous | Contents | Next »