Government earmarks £200m to fight zoonotic diseases like Covid-19

The government has earmarked £200m to fight zoonotic diseases, viruses that pass from animals to humans, after Covid-19 launched the issue onto the global stage.

The funding will be pumped into the UK’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) laboratories, which will focus on tackling high-risk animal diseases such as avian flue and bovine tuberculosis.

The coronavirus pandemic has reiterated the importance of boosting resilience to prevent similar public health crises happening in the future.

APHA is the UK’s watchdog for animal and plant health safeguarding and was crucial to controlling the outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease in 2001, which hit British farming.

Beyond public health, zoonotic disease pose a real threat to wildlife and farming, and risks curbing a £12bn industry in animal and animal by-product exporting.

“The importance of APHA’s work for society and for the UK economy is shown again and again; witness their work on the present avian influenza outbreak, and the global Covid pandemic – a zoonotic disease,” DEFRA chief scientific advisor Gideon Henderson said.

“This substantial investment in APHA’s capability recognises the essential role of this government laboratory, and will enable its excellent scientists to continue at the forefront of research and policy to protect the country, boosting our resilience and strengthening our understanding of health risks to, and from, animals and plants.”