Tuesday 15th September – Fred Landeg ‘Animal Disease Threats to Global Food Security’
“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and. healthy life”. (World Food Summit, 1996).
Infectious animal disease invariably causes a degree of economic loss to livestock keepers. Those diseases, which are either communicable to man or so infectious and economically damaging, they require Government intervention to prevent or control them, are classified as ‘listed’ or ‘notifiable’ diseases. If they go unchecked, they can damage livestock industries to such a degree that Food Security is threatened. Currently, there is a global epidemic of the listed disease – African Swine Fever (ASF) – it is raging in China and the Far East with outbreaks in Eastern Europe and Belgium. It is a serious threat to food security and to trade in animal and animal products. Aspects of the epidemiology of ASF, its prevention and control will be discussed compared with Classical Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease.
Fred Landeg CBE BVetMed MSc MRCVS
Fred qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in 1971. In 1975 after a spell in veterinary practice, he joined the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (MAFF now Defra) as a Veterinary Officer. He held several managerial posts concerned with operational delivery, development of policy and advice to Ministers in the areas of public health, animal health and animal welfare.
In 2004 he was appointed UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer and Director in Defra. He became acting Director-General and Chief Veterinary Officer in November 2007 and retired from public service at the end of April 2008. Until the Covid-19 pandemic, he continued to carry out specialised consultancy work within EU member states.