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News Release from: IChemE (Institution of Chemical Engineers) | Subject: FMD report
Edited by the Processingtalk Editorial
Team on 25 March 2008
"Foot and Mouth Report misses the point"
- IChemE
The report of the independent review into last year's UK outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease 'misses the point' and 'is not worth the paper it is printed on', according to a biosecurity expert
Keith Plumb, who appeared throughout the media last summer to discuss the FMD outbreak has described Dr Iain Anderson's review as inadequate, and "not worth the paper it's printed on" The report says that 'It's regrettable that the virus escaped from a Government-licensed facility' and it's this phrase that has infuriated Plumb, Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Group at the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE): "This is either a total understatement or an indication of both the author's and the Government's misguided view of the FMD outbreak" warned Plumb
This article was originally published on Processingtalk on 2 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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"The 140 page review mostly focuses on the containment of the outbreak and fails to focus on what happened at the Government-run Pirbright site, until 92 pages into the document".
This again suggests that the author and Government are much more concerned about containing the FMD outbreaks than preventing the escape of these pathogens from Government licensed establishments.
"What happens if a future escape is a human pathogen or one that's lethal to animals?" asked Plumb.
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He also believes the report fails to highlight the differences between research laboratories and industrial facilities.
It warns that whilst eliminating all risks is impossible, "the circumstances that led to this outbreak must never again be allowed to happen at Pirbright or any of the country's high containment research facilities.
Again, this completely misses the point," warns Plumb.
"Putting procedures in place that can be followed at large industrial sites is a completely different matter to doing something similar in smaller research laboratories.
Procedures for large-scale industrial sites must also be considered and the review does not appear to include enough contributions from those involved with industrial-sized production facilities" Plumb said.
The report concludes that there are weaknesses in the total regulatory system but despite this, no recommendations are made to prevent the release of pathogens from Pirbright or any other site.
"In this respect, the report is not worth the paper it is written on," said Plumb.
"After four Government reports we appear to be almost no further forward and the risk of further release of pathogens are as high as they were previously.
Spending money on relatively simple chemical and process engineering to better prevent further outbreaks seems to be of little interest to the Government or the regulatory or inspection bodies" Plumb concluded.
Plumb is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered Scientist and graduate of the Manchester Business School, with more than thirty years of experience.
He is Managing Director of Integral Pharma Services, a professional consultancy service working within the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and fine chemical industries.
He has been involved with most aspects of bio-security relating to the industrial production of biological and pharmaceutical products, as well as the design, specification and commissioning of vast range of equipment relevant to industrial bio-security.
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