Control of foot-and-mouth disease

Recommendation 181 (1958)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

a) Subject introduced on 4th May 1957 by the tabling of a motion of Recommendation,Doc. 680, by M. Torsten Andersson and others.(b) 4th May 1957, reference to the Committee on Agriculture (Reference No. 159).(c) 24th January 1958, tabling of the Report of the Committee on Agriculture,Doc. 786.(d) 16th October 1958, debate in the Assembly (see 21st Sitting of the 10th Session). The Recommendation was adopted unanimously.

The Assembly,

Considering the losses, amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds, which have been sustained in almost every European country owing to periodical epidemics of foot-and-mouth disease ;

Having regard to the work carried out :

1 by. the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease set up by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations ;

2 by the special section of the International Office of Epizootics ;

Having regard, moreover, to the International Sanitary Convention for the prevention of foot-and-mouth disease drawn up by the International Office of Epizootics, which has been open for signature by Governments since 1954 ;

Noting that the opportunities thereby offered to member countries of the Council of Europe of promoting the co-ordination and control of measures to prevent and cure foot-and-mouth disease have not been exploited by some of them to the extent desirable ;

Recalling the steps taken by the Committee of Ministers in its Resolution (54) 19, particularly the invitation to Member Governments to join the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease and give effect to the recommendations of the International Office of Epizootics (Doc. 357, paragraph 12) ;

Believing that for the successful control of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe :

it is essential for the countries affected to resort to slaughter, vaccination or a combination of these two methods, in the absence of new methods acknowledged to be more effective and less costly ;

steps must be taken to set up a Vaccine Bank ;

it is at all events necessary :

3.1 that the same stringent measures should be taken in all countries ;

3.2 that countries less seriously affected should use the expedient of slaughter, as this seems to be advantageous, and that those more seriously affected should combine this method with vaccination ;

3.3 that all countries should take concerted action against epizooty ;

3.4 that an intense, co-ordinated effort should be made to promote research,

Recommends to the Committee of Ministers :

1 that it should again urge Member Governments which have not signed or ratified the International Convention for the Prevention of Foot-and-Mouth Disease to follow the example of the other signatories so that the measures provided for in the Convention may soon be put into operation with the cooperation of all member countries ;

2 that it should again invite Member Governments which have not yet joined the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease to become members of that Commission or at least to find ways and means of giving it effective support ;

3 that it should try out any new methods of control and encourage research and its co-ordination ;

Invites the Committee of Ministers to inform it as soon as possible of any action it may take on this Recommendation and of the results of such action.