#18,118
We've a cautionary tale this morning on the far-reaching impact of H5N1's continued spillover into mammals, and the realities of having finite resources to combat it.
Arguably one of the biggest stories of 2023 was the discovery of scores of fur farms (mink, fox, raccoon dogs) across central Finland infected with HPAI H5N1 (see Eurosurveillance: HPAI H5N1 on Multiple Fur Farms in the South and Central Ostrobothnia Regions of Finland, July 2023).
After a tentative start where they said they had no jurisdiction, the Finnish Food Safety Authority (Ruokavirasto) took charge of the investigation, eventually ruling that All Mink On H5N1 Affected Farms To Be Culled.
That order was later expanded to include other species.
Under pressure from other agencies, last August Ruokavirasto pledged to test all of the fur farms in the country (n > 400), but stated it would take months to complete. The last report issued was in December of last year, with the 71st infected farm announced.
Since then, follow up reports have been noticeably absent, and it isn't clear how many of Finland's fur farms were actually tested, or what else may have learned during the course of these investigations.
Delay in animal disease examinations during the rest of the year
June 10, 2024
The Food Agency's cooperation negotiations to balance the agency's finances ended on May 23, 2024. In order to achieve the goal of adjusting finances and operations, the Food Agency has to lay off and lay off personnel and e.g. to leave unfilled vacancies.
The cost-saving measures also affect the Food Agency's service ability in laboratories investigating animal diseases. We try to serve our customers as well as possible, but there may be a delay in the completion of studies during the rest of the year.
June 3, 2024
The Food Agency's cooperation negotiations to balance the agency's finances have ended. In order to achieve the goal of adjusting finances and operations, the Food Agency estimates that it will have to terminate the employment of 93 people. The terminations are planned to be carried out by 30.9.2024 and no later than 30.11.2024.In addition, the Food Agency will have to lay off all of its staff in slaughterhouses and facilities, except for those performing meat inspection duties. The furlough period is 14 days during autumn 2024.
"In the years 2024–2028, the Food Agency's expenses will be greater than the resources from the state budget and income financing. Despite the previous savings and the savings opportunities identified now, the agency's financial situation in the coming years is weak, and reaching a balance requires additional savings in the agency's operating expenses. With adjustment measures, the Finnish Food Agency aims to achieve a situation where it is possible to reduce the impact on personnel in the coming years and to put the agency's finances on a sustainable footing," says Director General Leena Räsänen.
In addition to furloughs and layoffs, the Food Agency aims for savings by, among other things, cutting investments, travel expenses, purchases of services, and by not filling vacated positions and employment relationships. Making operations more efficient also causes changes in work tasks. In addition, the Food Agency will reduce and enhance the agency's tasks, activities and functions in all operational units and all organizational parts of the Food Agency.
"Saving measures will inevitably affect the Food Agency's service ability in its various functions. As resources shrink, we cannot completely avoid a drop in the service level. The Food Agency will inform later separately about possible changes in the provision of services or schedules," says Director General Räsänen.
On April 4, 2024, the Food Agency started the cooperation negotiations concerning all personnel and all functions. At the start of the cooperation negotiations, the need to reduce personnel was estimated to be a maximum of 143 people. The negotiation proposal also concerned the layoff of personnel. The negotiations ended on 23 May 2024. The personnel organizations stated after the negotiations that they see no grounds for layoffs or dismissals of personnel according to the negotiation proposal.
About a thousand experts in various fields work at the Food Agency. The personnel of the multi-location agency work in twenty locations. The net funding of the Food Agency's operating expenses in 2024 is approximately EUR 79.5 million.
The Food Agency promotes, supervises and investigates food safety and quality, animal health and well-being, plant health, and fertilizer products, feed, plant protection agents and propagating materials used in agricultural and forestry production. The agency is responsible for the use of funds from the EU's agricultural support and rural development funds in Finland, acts as the EU's paying agency, and develops and maintains information systems and electronic transaction services.
And if this can happen in a prosperous and technologically advanced nation like Finland, it can happen anywhere.
While many believe that H5Nx would have to mutate into a pandemic strain to become a genuine public health concern, it can do considerable economic, societal, and public health damage by simply doing what it's doing now; continuing to chip away at our food production industry.
The current strategy of `don't test, don't tell' - which some countries, agencies, and industries have embraced - may avoid near-term pain and economic losses, but it opens us up to far more extensive, and expensive losses down the road.
We can pay now, or pay later. But the Butcher's bill always comes due.
