Policy on the hoof: the handling of the foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001

Ian Taylor*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The foot and mouth disease (FMD) epidemic of 2001 was a disaster for sections of the agricultural industry, a number of businesses and for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), which met its demise as a government department during the crisis, being replaced by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). There were some 2,030 confirmed cases and over four million animals slaughtered. It caused the postponement of local elections and of a general election. From a public policy perspective it raised questions about contingency planning, the adjustment of policy to take account of change and how to manage a crisis. This article focuses on the background to the crisis and how it was handled.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)535-546
Number of pages12
JournalPolicy and Politics
Volume31
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2003

Keywords

  • contingencies
  • foot and mouth disease
  • MAFF
  • Tony Blair

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