Workplan of the Lao National UXO Programme.

Foot-and-mouth Disease (FMD) remains the first transboundary animal disease (TAD) threat to European livestock production. A single introduction usually has extremely serious, and frequently catastrophic, impacts. The European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (EuFMD), under a framework of co-ordination with EC (DG-SANTE), FAO and OIE, as played a significant role in reducing the risk and ensuring better preparedness. Partly as a result of this, the EU has not had, for the first time in its history, an outbreak of FMD case for the past ten years. In this time the EuFMD has established an internationally respected capacity for efficient delivery of training and in-country support to FMD Progressive Control Programmes, and most recently, in modelling of FMD control measures to guide emergency planning. The HOLD-FAST strategy continues the focus upon FMD risk reduction but extends the scope of the preparedness and risk reduction activities to similar TADs which pose an immediate threat to the Member Nations (hereafter FAST is used for FMD and similar TADs).