Abstract
During a foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreak, in addition to detecting, controlling, containing, and eradicating the FAD, one of the goals of response in the United States (US), and many other countries, is to allow the managed movement of non-infected animals and non-contaminated animal products from within FAD control areas to facilitate continuity of business (COB). Permits issued by government authorities are the mechanism by which such managed movements are allowed in the US, resulting in permitted movements. The overall purpose of issuing permits during an outbreak is to minimize the risk of disease spread while still allowing movement of products or animals; thus, the risk associated with each permitted movement must be considered. Currently, there are federal guidelines for the various permit types and purposes. These guidelines state that permits should be “based on science and risk-based information.” However, federal guidelines with specific procedures to determine risk are not readily available nor do they explicitly enumerate measures to assist regulatory authorities in using risk to guide decisions to grant permitted movement or deny a request to move. Although some pro-active risk assessments (RAs) have been conducted to determine risk of moving certain animals and their products, there will always be animal and product movements for which no pro-active RAs exist. We present here a process description of steps to conduct risk-based permitting with appropriate resource allocation to permitting by industry and regulatory authorities during an FAD outbreak.
Highlights
During a foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreak in the United States (US), the goals of response include detecting, controlling, and eradicating the FAD and continuity of business (COB) for companies and farms with non-infected animals and non-contaminated animal products [1]
While the detailed methods for an ad hoc risk assessment(s) (RA) are beyond the scope of this paper, we propose that the same Permitting Advisory Group (PAG) identify and consider risk pathways, detection methods, and mitigation strategies to evaluate overall movement risk and to reduce the unknown factor by defining permit specific conditions and criteria needed
For a movement with a risk deemed acceptable for current circumstances, adequate resources are allocated for oversight of the permitted movement, and the resources allocated should be commensurate with the risk of that movement
Summary
During a foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreak in the United States (US), the goals of response include detecting, controlling, and eradicating the FAD and continuity of business (COB) for companies and farms with non-infected animals and non-contaminated animal products [1]. We present here two processes to facilitate COB: [1] using a risk-based approach to guide permitting decisions for animal and animal product movements, and [2] appropriate resource allocation by industry and regulatory authorities to permitting during an FAD outbreak. The risk-based permitting process can serve as a method for agricultural industries needing business continuity to use during an FAD outbreak, helping build on their knowledge and increase their ability to work with state and federal authorities to inform and perform permitted movements. While the exact responsible party, down to the specific person, will need to be determined by individual states or responsible regulatory officials, the delegation and communication of roles is a key factor in preparedness This becomes most clear when considering the management of risks associated with a movement. This necessitates a realistic estimate of availability and capability of both regulatory officials and industry personnel
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