Transparency data

FHI Quarterly Report – 1 October to 31 December 2014

Updated 12 March 2015

Applies to England and Wales

1. Finfish and shellfish health

The annual inspection programme on Aquatic Production Businesses for compliance with Aquatic Animal Health regulations, and for aquatic animal health surveillance, was completed for 2014 during this quarter. The main emphasis of the early autumn programme is surveillance on farms holding SVC susceptible species. As water temperatures fall the programme effort changes towards surveillance on salmonid farms.

The surveillance and compliance inspection programmes were completed for the shellfish and crustacean sector during the final quarter of 2014.

Compliance visits to depuration and purification facilities were completed in the quarter and in addition to the statutory nature of the visits, Inspectors also collected additional information from depuration plant operatives in order to provide data for an epidemiological study on aquatic animal health risks.

Work started during the quarter on an initiative to transfer the Inspectorate on-farm data collection requirements from a paper based system to an electronic format through the use of tablet computers. This development will provide efficiencies within the Inspectorate field programmes, and provide a more efficient service to stakeholders. Work is on track to be completed by the end of F/Y 2014-15.

2. Disease investigations - Finfish

In October two further managed fisheries in Wiltshire and Staffordshire were found to be infected with KHV disease following significant mortality in their common carp populations. The sites were subject to Confirmed Designations. This brought the total number of managed fisheries designated for KHV disease in 2014 to 23 - the highest number of statutory controls placed since KHV disease was made notifiable in 2007.

The owner of a fishery, a complex comprising 12 separate angling waters and a stock pond requested authorisation from the FHI to cull and disinfect the lake that was affected by KHV disease. Whilst this action would not affect the conditions or the duration of the Confirmed Designation, the FHI agreed to supervise the cull and disinfection to reduce the possibility of spread of disease to other waters in the complex.

Diagnostic testing was completed on the 36 outstanding populations of sentinel fish introduced into infected waters as a part of the sampling and inspection programme for KHV disease (one sample from a fishery was completed earlier in the year in order to facilitate the removal of the Confirmed Designation from the site). Statutory controls were removed from 7 fisheries following two years of surveillance and two years of negative testing of sentinel fish.

An epidemiological study was started at Cefas examining data from the KHV disease sentinel fish programme, which is used as a part of the inspection and surveillance programme on managed fisheries subject to statutory controls. The objective of the study is to establish whether the sentinel fish programme provides significant additional confidence in establishing freedom from KHV disease over and above that provided by an inspection programme alone. A report on the study will be completed early in 2015.

3. Disease investigations - Shellfish

Following discussion at the National Reference Laboratories molluscan disease meeting in 2014 about the suitability of listing Vibrio aesturianus in the EU legislation, a review of recent English oyster mortality investigations has been carried out. Samples stored from the investigations have been tested using RT PCR and primers specific for V. aesturianus, to see if the bacterium is associated with these mortality events.

Whilst the work has yet to be completed, the evidence to date indicates that, unlike reports from other member states, notably France, the bacterium does not always appear to be present in mortality events where OsHV-1μVar is identified. In England there are only two examples that have been positive for V. aesturianus and OsHV-1 μVar, and both of these samples came from the River Crouch in the summer of 2014.

Other samples tested from OsHV-1 positive areas have all been negative for Vibrio using the RT PCR assay.

However in 2013 the FHI investigated mortality events in juvenile oysters from both UK hatcheries which tested negative for OsHV-1 at the time, but have subsequently tested positive for V. aesturianus. The mortality events at the hatcheries were described by the operators as largely environmental in origin. So far the investigation does not suggest that the presence of V. aesturianus is a significant part of all Pacific oyster mortalities during the summer.

The FHI has continued to support the stakeholder-led initiative on the River Colne and River Blackwater estuaries for the regeneration of native oyster populations through the provision of advice on the control of Bonamia ostreae.

Work is continuing in conjunction with the Southern Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority (IFCA) on the incidence and importance of rickettsia-like organisms in wild scallops in the Lyme Bay fishery.

3.1 Breakdown of fish activities

Activity	Number
Compliance visits to authorised APBs	101
Routine disease inspections	106
Surveillance or sample on suspicion of notifiable disease	28
Visits resulting from confirmation of notifiable disease	13
Authorisation inspections	21

3.2 Breakdown of shellfish activities

Activity	Number
Compliance visits to authorised aquaculture production businesses	61
Routine disease inspections	14
Surveillance on suspicion of notifiable disease	4

4. Investigations and enforcement

The failure of a fishery to apply the conditions of a Confirmed Designation following an outbreak of KHV disease resulted in an enforcement notice being served on the owner. Whilst this had the desired effect in respect of achieving compliance, the owner of the fishery elected to appeal against the notice under Regulation 37 (1) (e) of the Aquatic Animal Health (England and Wales) Regulations 2009. This Regulation provides the appellant with the right to be heard by an independent assessor appointed by the competent authority. A written report was submitted to Defra in November 2014, and a written notice of the results of the appeal will be provided to the appellant.

A new initiative was launched in November involving Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire police, the Angling Trust, the Environment Agency and the Fish Health Inspectorate working in partnership with the objective of targeting illegal fishing, fish movements and fish theft in Fenland. Illegal activities in the sector are known to have wider criminal implications and a negative impact on the environment and livelihoods.

The FHI has investigated a number of companies involved in internet sales of fish that are claimed to be of UK origin to establish whether they originate from unauthorised fish farms. In addition the Inspectorate identified a number of cases of illegal species of crayfish offered for sale. In each case the crayfish were seized and destroyed.

4.1 Breakdown of investigations and enforcement activities

Activity	Number
Regulation notices	28
Advice and warning letters issued	5
Enforcement notice	0
Unannounced visits	27

5. Advice and representation

For some months Korean fish farming businesses have been seeking means by which live farmed olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus could be imported into the UK for human consumption. The FHI provided comprehensive advice to the Koreans on health certification requirements in particular with regard to VHS. The Korean authorities challenged this advice and approached the European Commission seeking clarification about the import requirements. A bilateral meeting was held between the UK representatives and representatives of the European Commission which concluded that the UK interpretation of health certification requirement was correct and that live olive flounder could not be imported into the UK due to the current Korean aquatic animal health status and the fact that the fish would be subject to further processing before consumption.

The FHI facilitated discussions between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Animal and Plant Health Agency on export certification requirements of crab for human consumption. In addition the FHI concluded negotiations with the Canadian Authorities on exports of ornamental fish and on fish for research purposes.

Health certificate requirements were finalised with the South African authorities on exports of tilapia and with Germany on the health certification of sturgeon as vector species.

Advice was provided to Defra to facilitate trade in trout with China, and on exports of processed fish oils to Turkey. In addition there has been several enquiries from stakeholders about trade in sturgeon and in particular health certification requirements for movements of live fish from continental Europe into the UK.

A senior inspector was invited to support a European Commission Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) fact finding mission to Croatia on finfish aquaculture during October. This was the second of a series of trial fact finding missions on aquaculture to member states.

The FHI hosted a meeting at the Cefas Weymouth laboratory attended by Marc Owen, Freshwater Environmental Campaigns Manager and Martin Salter, National Campaigns Coordinator of the Angling Trust where presentations were delivered on aquatic animal health controls and invasive non-native species.

In November representatives of the FHI attended the Carp Society exhibition where information on fish health and biosecurity was distributed.

6. Service charter

Below is a breakdown of our performance against targets our service charter

Activity	Number
Correspondence	100
Telephone enquiries received	695
Email enquiries	1484
Visitors to Gov.uk website	11,073
Movement document applications	90 (100% achieved)
Fishery and AAH registrations	188 (100% achieved)
Test results and visit only letters	327 (95% achieved)
Overall compliance rate within target	99%

A full breakdown of the FHI’s performance under the service charter is available in Issue 15 of Finfish News.

7. Trade

The total number of aquatic trade consignments imported into England and Wales from other EU countries in the last quarter was 109. The breakdown is as follows:

Country	Number
France	41
Guernsey	15
Netherlands	6
Norway	5
Eire	4
Denmark	3
N. Ireland	3
Isle of Man	2
Belgium	1
Czech Republic	1
Germany	1
Poland	1
Portugal	1

The total number of aquatic trade consignments exported from England and Wales to countries in the EU in the last quarter was 123. The breakdown is as follows:

Country	Number
Eire	43
Northern Ireland	29
Jersey	11
Denmark	6
France	6
Netherlands	3
Belgium	2
Portugal	2
Sweden	2
Austria	1
Canada	1
Germany	1
Italy	1
Poland	1
Spain	1
Thailand	1

8. Next quarter

• Replacement of paper based data collection with electronic collection using tablets (wireless portable computer using touch screen technology).
• Refreshing biosecurity advice and guidance particularly for managed fisheries.
• Improving passive surveillance through improved reporting suspicion of listed diseases by stakeholders.