What are the local risks?
Animal Disease
Farms supplying meat from cattle, sheep and poultry have strict controls to monitor the health of livestock and the movement of stock around the country in animal transporter trucks.
However outbreaks of animal diseases do occasionally occur and when this
happens, agencies such as the Health Protection Agency, the scientific community
and local authorities take action to control the spread of the disease to livestock in
other parts of the country such as enforcing strict farm staff hygiene measures and
restricting some animal movements.
Concerns that most animal diseases can transfer to human beings are untrue. In very
rare cases animal diseases can mutate so they can be contracted by human beings.
If this does happen, such as in the recent swine flu outbreak, measures are already
in place to inform the public what to do in the event of catching the disease,
controlling its spread and providing health care.
Visit www.bedford.gov.uk/business/trading_standards.aspx for further information.
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