Government Lab Vital in Future Pandemics Is Falling Down and at ‘Maximum Risk of Failure’ – Guido Fawkes

Government Lab Vital in Future Pandemics Is Falling Down and at ‘Maximum Risk of Failure’

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The UK Government’s only specialist animal lab, which would be crucial to respond to a mass outbreak of an animal disease, is on the edge of literally falling down because of years of disrepair. Defra’s Weybridge site lab contains 98% of the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s high containment laboratories (basically the entire national capacity). Weybridge is the only Government facility in Britain equipped to deal with most ‘zoonotic’ diseases, like those that could ‘spillover’ from animals and cause another Covid…

A recent damning report from the National Audit Office found: “any major failure at Weybridge could have potentially significant impacts on the UK. For example, APHA may not be able to deliver its emergency response during an outbreak. Weybridge is in poor condition, with ageing buildings that need major repair and replacement.” It continues: “Defra increased its assessment of the risk of site failure to the highest rating (25 out of a possible 25, up from 20), and Defra’s Outbreak Readiness Board lowered its rating for the site’s capability to respond to a medium-severity outbreak. Contingency plans for a significant failure at Weybridge are limited due to the uniqueness of the site.” Yikes, so there’s no backup…

Insiders confirmed to Guido that the site is in a state of total disrepair and is essentially non-functional should it be needed in a national emergency. Good to see the lessons of Covid being learned…