Exotic notifiable animal diseases contingency plans - Scottish Regional Resilience Partnerships' framework: August 2022

Appendix D: Glossary of terms

Abbreviation: APHA

Term: Animal and Plant Health Agency

Description: Executive Agency of Defra, working on behalf of Scottish Government, Defra, Welsh Government to deliver government policy with regard to animal health and welfare.

Abbreviation: AI

Term: Avian influenza

Description: Disease that affects birds/poultry. See Appendix I.

Term: Contiguous Premises

Description: Premises immediately adjacent to an Infected Premises (IP).

Abbreviation: C&D

Term: Cleansing and disinfection

Description: Biosecurity procedures put in place during the culling and disposal of animals, and the treatment of contaminated areas of a premise with disinfectant.

Term: Controlled Area

Description: Area around an Infected Premise(s), the boundaries of which are at least 10 km from the premise(s) in which disease has been confirmed.

Abbreviation: CDCC

Term: Central Disease Control Centre

Description: Tactical management team co-ordinating APHA disease response.

Abbreviation: CMO

Term: Chief Medical Officer

Description: CMO provides policy advice on healthcare and public health.

Abbreviation: CPH(M)/CsPH(M)

Term: Consultant (or consultants) in Public Health (Medicine)

Description: Provides public health guidance to public health incidents, will be a member of the National IMT and is responsible for the implementation and operational aspects of the public health response in their NHS board area.

Abbreviation: CVO(S)

Term: Chief Veterinary Officer (Scotland)

Description: Scottish Government Animal Health and Welfare Division policy lead

Abbreviation: Defra

Term: Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Description: Defra represents the interests of the UK in international negotiations on disease control.

Abbreviation: DPU

Term: Disease Policy Unit

Description: Staffed by Scottish Government to assists the DSG in managing the disease control operation.

Abbreviation: DSG

Term: Disease Strategy Group

Description: A group of senior civil servants (including veterinary staff and others) and senior operational partners that will direct the strategic response to a notifiable disease outbreak in Scotland, and advise Scottish Ministers.

Abbreviation: EPO

Term: Environment Protection Officer

Description: Provide regulation and enforcement of a range of environmental legislation including protection of the water environment.

Abbreviation: FOB

Term: Forward Operating Base

Description: Building and administration for APHA operational management of the disease response. If possible, sited within an hour of the Infected Premises.

Abbreviation: FMD

Term: Foot and mouth disease

Description: Disease that affects cloven hoofed animals. See Appendix H.

Abbreviation: GIS

Term: Geographical Information System

Description: IT system that processes and analyses spatial and non-spatial data.

Abbreviation: HoFDS

Term: Head of Field Delivery - Scotland

Description: Senior Manager within APHA Scotland, appointed to manage the field operations in the Central Disease Control Centre.

Abbreviation: IMT

Term: Incident Management Team

Description: See National IMT

Term: Infected Place

Description: Legal term used in rabies legislation applying to premises upon which notifiable disease is suspected to exist, or has existed within the last 56 days, and has a restriction notice served on the occupier of the premises.

Abbreviation: IP

Term: Infected Premises

Description: Premises upon which notifiable disease has been confirmed.

Abbreviation: JRMLO

Term: Joint Regional Military Liaison Officer

Description: Military representative that may be invited to attend SGoR to provide advice to the Scottish Government.

Abbreviation: LA

Term: Local Authority

Description: Statutory Body delivering Government and local policy within a set boundary.

Abbreviation: MACA

Term: Military Aid to the Civil Authorities

Description: Process by which assistance can be sought from the Military.

Abbreviation: National IMT

Term: Incident Management Team

Description: Convened to coordinate the public health response to the incident.

Abbreviation: National Reference Laboratories (NRLs)

Term:

• APHA Laboratory, Weybridge
• Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright
• Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory (RIPL), Porton Down

Description: In the event of an exotic animal disease outbreak within GB, disease diagnostic samples would go to one of the NRLs: APHA Laboratory in Weybridge, or the Pirbright Institute, depending on the disease.

Porton Down currently carries out diagnostic testing for anthrax.

Abbreviation: ND

Term: Newcastle disease

Description: Disease that affects birds/poultry. See Appendix E.

Abbreviation: NDCC

Term: National Disease Control Centre

Description: The centre coordinating the operational response throughout the whole of Great Britain.

Abbreviation: NEG

Term: National Experts Group

Description: The NEG is a permanent group of scientists, meteorologists, economists and veterinary representatives from within and out with government, which during outbreaks will provide specific technical and scientific advice and recommendations on the disease, its transmission and its control, with a view to supporting government policies.

Abbreviation: Ops Manual

Term: Operations Manual

Description: APHA Operational Instructions, Procedures and Emergency Routines.

Abbreviation: OV

Term: Official Veterinarian

Description: Private practice veterinarians who are authorised to perform statutory veterinary work.

Abbreviation: PAO

Term: Principal Agricultural Officer

Description: Manages Scottish Government's local RPID Area Office.

Abbreviation: PCD

Term: Procurement and Contract Division

Description: A Defra Division for ensuring contracts and purchasing policies are robust – will already have many contracts in place and have pre-identified sources of many specialist services.

Abbreviation: PCG

Term: Public Communications Group

Description: A wide range of communication practitioners from key responder agencies and private sector partners, often mirroring the operational makeup of their associated RRP.

Abbreviation: PHS

Term: Public Health Scotland

Description: Provides expert public health advice to responding agencies, and chairs the National IMT to coordinate the public health response to the incident.

Term: Preliminary cleansing and disinfection (C&D)

Description: Carried out by APHA immediately after culling and disposal (costs met by SG). It consists of dampening down contaminated and potentially contaminated areas of the IP with a Government approved disinfectant or biocide.

The objective is to reduce the level of surface contamination. Preliminary C&D is considered to be complete 24 hours after spraying down of the IP is complete.

Abbreviation: PZ

Term: Protection Zone

Description: A zone (generally circular) around an IP in which there are stringent restrictions on movements of animals, farm products, farm vehicles and other activities, to help prevent further spread of disease.

Abbreviation: RCG

Term: Recovery Co-ordinating Group

Description: The RCG is a multi-agency group led by a local authority that will support communities in recovering from the economic, social and physical impacts of an emergency.

Abbreviation: RPID

Term: Scottish Government's Rural Payments and Inspections Division

Description: RPID has around 600 staff in 17 area offices throughout Scotland doing a variety of jobs - some are specialists in agriculture.

Term: Restricted Area

Description: Area around the Infected Premises. Controls will vary depending upon the disease.

Term: Restriction Notice

Description: A Notice served on the owner, occupier or person in charge of a premises, which will restrict movement of animals and possibly animal products, vehicles and personnel on and off the premises. The Notice may also require the recipient to perform other duties, such as erect signage and disinfectant footbaths.

Term: Revocation Notice

Description: A notice to revoke a Restriction Notice.

Abbreviation: RPs

Term: Resilience Partnerships

Description: Resilience Partnerships is a term to describe the collective of category one and two responders to an emergency and includes regional and local resilience partnerships (RRP/LRPs).

Abbreviation: SAGE

Term: Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies

Description: SAGE is a UK level group responsible for coordinating and peer reviewing, as far as possible, scientific and technical advice to inform decision-making.

Abbreviation: SAO

Term: Senior Agricultural Officer

Description: Manages team(s) in local RPID area office.

Abbreviation: SASA

Term: Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture

Description: A Division of the Scottish Government Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate. Provides scientific services and advice.

Abbreviation: SEPA

Term: Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Description: SEPA provides advice and regulates the environmental protection system for Scotland.

Abbreviation: SGoRR

Term: Scottish Government Resilience Room

Description: When the scale or complexity of an emergency is such that some degree of central government co-ordination or support becomes necessary, Scottish Government will activate its emergency response arrangements through SGoRR. The precise role of SGoRR will vary depending on the nature of the emergency. SGoRR will include staff from the main affected Scottish Government Directorates and representatives of relevant agencies.

Abbreviation: SSPCA

Term: Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Description: The SSPCA is the oldest and largest animal welfare charity in Scotland, offering inspectorate and animal welfare centres

Abbreviation: STAC

Term: Scientific and Technical Advice Cell

Description: STAC provide public health, environmental, scientific and technical advice to strategic coordinating groups in Scotland.

Abbreviation: SVI

Term: Senior Veterinary Inspector

Description: APHA veterinary field officer, responds to notification of disease, conducts clinical investigations of susceptible animals, serves restrictions and has additional roles on Infected Premises for Valuation, Welfare at Cull and Secondary C&D advisor.

Abbreviation: SZ

Term: Surveillance Zone

Description: Concentric circle outside a Protection Zone. A zone of movement controls and other requirements used to help prevent further spread of disease.

Term: Secondary Cleansing & Disinfection (C&D)

Description: After preliminary C&D, the cleansing (including disposal of manure, bedding etc.), degreasing, washing and disinfecting of premises to remove the infective agent, reduce the level of it, such that recrudescence will not occur on restocking. This is at the keeper's expense (usually carried out by the keeper, to APHA's satisfaction).

Term: Susceptible animal

Description: Animals that are susceptible to a certain infection.

Abbreviation: TCZ

Term: Temporary Control Zone

Description: A zone around a premises upon which there is suspicion of disease. The zone will have movement controls and will last only a very short period, from a number of hours to several days.

Abbreviation: VI

Term: Veterinary Inspector

Description: Veterinary Surgeon employed by SG on Animal Health business.

Abbreviation: VO

Term: Veterinary Officer

Description: APHA veterinary field officer, responds to notification of disease, conducts clinical investigations of susceptible animals, serves restrictions and has additional roles on Infected Premises for Valuation, Welfare at Cull and Secondary C&D advisor.