Veterinary Investigation

Surveillance Report

2016

and 2009 - 2016

A tabulated summary of diagnoses

recorded at APHA Veterinary Investigation Centres

in England and Wales & Disease Surveillance Centres

in Scotland

VIDA

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

National Assembly for Wales Agriculture Department

Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department

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CONTENTS

Glossary ii

Introduction 1

Trends in Livestock Population 3

Livestock Disease Graphs and Tables Disease trends in 2016 5 Cattle graphs 6

Small ruminants graphs 10

Pigs graphs 13

Birds graphs 14 Table 1 - Total VIDA diagnostic submissions 2009 - 2016

Table 2 - Cattle 2016 monthly trends Table 3 - Cattle 2009 - 2016 yearly trends Table 4 - Sheep 2016 monthly trends Table 5 - Sheep 2009 - 2016 yearly trends Table 6 - Goats 2016 monthly trends Table 7 - Goats 2009 - 2016 yearly trends Table 8 - Pigs 2016 monthly trends Table 9 - Pigs 2009 - 2016 yearly trends Table 10 - Birds 2016 monthly trends Table 11 - Birds 2009 - 2016 yearly trends Table 12 - Miscellaneous species 2016 monthly trends Table 13 - Miscellaneous species 2009 - 2016 yearly trends

1

VIDA 2016

INTRODUCTION Source of Data

The Veterinary Investigation Diagnosis Analysis database - VIDA -

contains a record of every diagnostic submission made to the

Veterinary Investigation Centres of the Animal and Plant Health Agency

(APHA) and to Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Veterinary Services in

Great Britain, and has been operating since 1975.

In England and Wales during 2016 there were six APHA Veterinary

Investigation Centres (VICs) as well as APHA's specialist avian centre

at Lasswade in Scotland, a laboratory testing facility at Newcastle and a

central research and diagnostic facility at Weybridge in Surrey. The

APHA laboratory network is supplemented by five partner post-mortem

examination providers who work under APHA contract, namely: Royal

Veterinary College, Hawkshead; University of Surrey, School of

Veterinary Medicine; the Wales Veterinary Science Centre,

Aberystwyth; University of Bristol Veterinary School; SRUC’s Veterinary

Services at St Boswells, Scotland. More information about the APHA

network in England and Wales can be found here:

http://ahvla.defra.gov.uk/vet-gateway/surveillance/diagnostic/national-

network.htm

In Scotland during 2016 there were eight Disease Surveillance Centres,

administered by SRUC. Information about veterinary surveillance and

diagnostic services offered by SRUC in Scotland is available here:

https://www.sruc.ac.uk/info/120144/farm_animal_diagnostics

The total number of diagnostic submissions received in 2016 was

32,389. This includes submissions for which no diagnosis code was

2

recorded. It should be noted that a submission could have more than

one diagnosis and may also comprise more than one carcase and/or

other type of sample.

As well as the production of this booklet, VIDA is used for a wide range

of ad hoc investigations, and for the GB disease surveillance

dashboards for cattle, chickens, sheep and pigs that were launched

during 2017: https://public.tableau.com/profile/siu.apha#!/

Bias in VIDA

Submissions recorded on VIDA represent only the clinical material

submitted for veterinary investigation to APHA Veterinary Investigation

Centres and SRUC’s Disease Surveillance Centres; hence this

represents a source of bias. This clinical material includes samples of

different types (eg. blood samples, faeces, tissues) and carcases for

post-mortem examination (PME). This bias is influenced by many

factors, for example, the clinical presentation of a suspected disease,

the level of awareness of a disease and its perceived importance, the

value of the animal/s affected and the general economic climate.

Particular diagnoses may also be affected by a range of factors, such

as improved scientific methods, and knowledge of this may also affect

rates of submission. These factors will usually vary differentially with

time. This bias should be considered when interpreting both individual

figures, and apparent trends, from VIDA data.

VIDA diagnosis totals are intended to represent only cases of clinical

disease. For APHA submissions there is no diagnosis code assigned if

the submission is not diagnostic, but at SAC some submissions are

assigned a diagnosis code meaning “DIAGNOSIS NOT APPLICABLE”

(code 991) and “SCREENING – No clinical problem” (code 980).

3

When examining annual diagnosis figures for a particular disease, it is

therefore advisable to relate them not just to the total diagnoses in that

year and class, but also to exclude submissions where the diagnosis is

'not applicable' and those for “screening – no clinical problem” before

comparing one year with another. Total submissions excluding ‘not

applicable’ and ‘screening’ are referred to as ‘diagnostic submissions’

(see Table 1).

4

LIVESTOCK POPULATION TRENDS IN 2016

Changes in the total number of animals in each category of livestock

may affect the overall disease situation, and thus the totals recorded in

this publication. A summary is therefore given below.

The 2016 livestock data is taken from the June Agricultural Census

figures (Defra statistics 2017) for Great Britain. These data are

provisional.

Livestock population

Cattle

There was a slight increase in the total cattle population, including

calves, in Great Britain in 2016 (8.4 million animals) compared to 2015

(8.3 million animals).

Sheep

The total sheep population, including lambs, decreased by 10.8% in

2016 compared with 2015; there are now approximately 27.9 million

animals recorded in Great Britain.

Goats

The total goat population in Great Britain increased by 10.7% in 2016

(99,802 animals) compared with 2015 (96,161 animals).

Pigs

There was a slight increase (2.3%) in the total GB pig population in

2016 compared with 2015 and there are now just over 4.2 million

animals.

5

Poultry

Compared with 2015, the total number of poultry (chickens, turkey,

ducks, geese and game birds) in Great Britain increased by 3.1% in

2016 to just over 150.8 million birds. The total number of chickens

(layers, broilers, other table fowl and breeding fowls) also increased (by

3.2%) compared with 2015, and is now just under 140.2 million birds.

6

DISEASE TRENDS IN 2016

Veterinary comment on trends in VIDA diagnostic data which are

reviewed every quarter can be found in the Quarterly Reports of the

APHA Species Expert Groups:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animal-disease-surveillance-

reports

There are reports for cattle, small ruminants (sheep & goats), pigs, birds

(poultry & game birds), miscellaneous & exotic farmed species and

wildlife. The Species Expert Groups are made up of APHA vets and

scientists who have expertise in a particular species and also include

colleagues from APHA’s Partner PME Providers, SRUC’s Veterinary

Services, AFBI in Northern Ireland, the Veterinary Medicines

Directorate, academia, the livestock sector councils and veterinary

surgeons from the BVA Divisions.

These Groups take the lead in the investigation of endemic and new &

emerging diseases identified by APHA scanning surveillance activities.

Further information about the Species Expert Groups is available at

http://ahvla.defra.gov.uk/vet-gateway/surveillance/seg/index.htm

7

CATTLE

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SMALL RUMINANTS

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PIGS

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BIRDS

15

TABULATED DATA

As well as the information published in the annual VIDA book, there is a

self-service GB disease surveillance dashboard tool available online:

https://public.tableau.com/profile/siu.apha#!/

There is also a customised data retrieval service from the extensive

VIDA database. Information can be retrieved for any number of years

from 1975 to the current year, for cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and birds.

Birds can be classified into a large number of different categories.

Other variables include age, diagnosis from a specific sample type, and

county of origin.

Further details of customised ad hoc retrievals, including a cost

quotation are available from:

VIDA Section Department of Epidemiological Sciences Animal and Plant Health Agency

Woodham Lane

16

New Haw Addlestone

Surrey

KT15 3NB Telephone: +44 (0)208 026 0682 or +44 (0)208 026 9667 E-mail: vida@apha.gsi.gov.uk