Environment Agency's New Category 2 Technical Review Group
Environment Agency Fish Health Policies
The Environment Agency assesses around 11,000 applications to move fish into or out of inland waters every year.
We have a comprehensive set of policies that set out how we do this. Many of our fish movement policies are in
place to protect fisheries from the impact and spread of certain fish diseases and parasites. Defra and WAG
regulate (Cat 1) notifiable diseases, such as SVC, through the Cefas FHI. The Environment Agency takes a risk-based
approach to controlling Category 2 or novel fish diseases and parasites.
Category 2 and novel parasites and diseases are those which are considered by the Environment Agency to:
- have significant disease potential when introduced into waters where the diseases or parasites do not already exist; or,
- be novel, non-indigenous diseases or parasites of unknown pathogenicity and distribution.
The Environment Agency will not consent the introduction of novel parasites or diseases into any inland waters. We will
not consent the introduction of Category two parasites into inland water unless they are fully enclosed, in which case we
recommend that the fishery owner assess the risks, or if the water is already infected with that particular Cat 2 parasite.
Category 2 Technical Review Group
We want to make sure that our fish health policies are based on sound science.
Having an independent panel of experts that advise us is one of the ways we will achieve this. The primary role of the
Category 2 Technical Review Group is to advise Environment Agency policy makers what should and should not be considered
for the Cat 2 and Novel disease and parasite list. This includes guiding us on what our research and development
priorities should be. As risk based regulators we do not want to restrict the fish movement industry unnecessarily.
Equally we will not take risks with the health of fisheries if we do not yet understand the impact that a parasite or
disease may have.
The group also advises the Environment Agency on any fish health polices that are made to deal with major non-notifiable
disease outbreaks. Further information about the group can be found in the group Terms of Reference.
Information Sharing
We want our fish health policies to be transparent to our stakeholders and the people we regulate.
Although some of the information and papers that go to the group are confidential, particularly where it relates to a business
or a site (ie Commercial sensitivities and data protection), we will endeavour to make the minutes of the group meetings available.
The minutes of the meetings can be found below.
Cat 2 Review Group meeting 13/10/06
Cat 2 Review Group meeting 29/05/07
