DEFRA vets and scientists exhausted as bluetongue outbreak puts pressure on services

DEFRA vets and scientists are being pushed to the limit as they respond to the ongoing bluetongue virus outbreak, Prospect has warned.

Prospect National Secretary Steven Littlewood said:

“Our members are feeling absolutely exhausted and psychologically bruised and battered. They are working directly with farmers who are understandably stressed, upset and frustrated, while also carrying the burden of being the face of government in dealing with the outbreak.

“There needs to be greater investment in preparing for outbreaks like this and planning around national resilience. Too often the focus is on dealing with outbreaks when they happen, rather than anticipating the next one and preparing for it.

“People are working unpaid overtime and working their fingers to the bone, but they can only do so much with the resources they have.”

The pressure comes alongside wider staffing and capacity problems across DEFRA and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), with private sector capacity, locums and agency staff being brought in to help deal with demand.

Littlewood warned that the pay and reward package is not sufficient to attract people, pointing to DEFRA and APHA’s own admission to the Public Accounts Committee that more needs to be done to attract, recruit and retain staff.

Prospect has previously highlighted concerns raised by the National Audit Office that the government was dealing with animal disease from crisis to crisis and lacked a longer-term strategic approach to disease preparedness.

Littlewood also spoke to BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today about the pressures facing vets and scientists working on the bluetongue outbreak.