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 language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 535-546 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Policy and Politics |
Volume | 31 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2003 |
Keywords
- contingencies
- foot and mouth disease
- MAFF
- Tony Blair