UK zoonotic research site left to deteriorate - MPs

The UK's main installation for dealing with viruses that leap from animals to humans has been near to "deteriorate to an alarming extent," according to MPs.

The Public Affairs Committee study cited "inadequate absorption and under-investment" astatine the tract successful Weybridge.

It said the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) had "comprehensively failed successful its humanities management" of the centre.

Defra said enactment was already underway to upgrade the laboratories.

The centre is operated by the government's Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). It is cardinal to the UK's quality to power the outbreak of carnal diseases and observe immoderate emerging pathogens.

The Public Accounts Committee recovered much than "1,000 azygous points of failure" astatine the Weybridge site.

Its report said deterioration had near the laboratories "continually susceptible to a large breakdown" which would severely interaction the UK's quality to efficaciously respond to outbreaks.

Some of the deadliest viruses connected world are "zoonotic diseases" that transverse betwixt taxon specified arsenic Covid-19, Sars oregon Ebola.

The study said the hazard to the UK of a zoonotic illness was "real and the consequences tin beryllium devastating", and accused the authorities of not sufficiently prioritising this menace to "UK health, trade, farming and agrarian communities."

Committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier said: "After the 2001 catastrophe of ft and rima disease, the past decades person brought 1 animal-sourced illness aft another.

"It is shocking that authorities has allowed UK capableness successful this country to deteriorate truthful alarmingly implicit that aforesaid period," she said. "These diseases are devastating for our nutrient accumulation systems, the system and, erstwhile they leap the taxon obstruction to humans arsenic Covid-19 did, to our full society."

The UK and EU are presently successful the grip of a record avian flu outbreak that has killed 48 cardinal birds.

Prof Paul Wigley, prof of carnal microbial ecosystems astatine the University of Bristol, warned that avian flu "had the imaginable to leap to different taxon including us."

"Weybridge has ever been a cardinal assets of facilities and people. It has been placed successful a perilous presumption by underfunding and crumbling facilities," helium said. "Without enactment it is progressively improbable the UK could header with different large outbreak of carnal oregon zoonotic illness on with the ongoing avian influenza epidemic."

The authorities has plans to redevelop the site, with the operation of a caller subject hub owed to commencement successful 2027. However the level of backing needed is inactive not finalised.

Prof James Wood, caput of the section of veterinary medicine astatine University of Cambridge, said that the "steady decline" of the installation had been clear.

"We tin nary longer beryllium reliant connected laboratory resources from spouse European laboratories. The value of laboratories is demonstrated intelligibly by their cardinal relation successful the diagnosis and power of the ongoing unprecedented avian influenza outbreak.

"The existent large Weybridge redevelopment programme is precise invited and important but it volition instrumentality galore years to beryllium implemented and determination are risks of laboratory nonaccomplishment occurring successful the meantime."

A Defra spokesperson said: "Significant backing and enactment is already underway to upgrade (Weybridge's) laboratories and guarantee we are protected from these diseases into the future.

"Its world-leading scientists and our tract teams are playing a captious relation successful responding rapidly and decisively to the threats from carnal diseases, including the existent Avian Influenza outbreak, which is the largest connected record."