UK capacity for animal and plant disease ‘deteriorated alarmingly’

Public Accounts Committee chair says government “must get a grip” as nation is left vulnerable

The government has “comprehensively failed” in its management of the UK’s primary site for tackling plant and animal disease threats, leaving the country vulnerable to future disease outbreaks, MPs have warned.

The chair of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has described the situation as “shocking” and urged the government to “get a grip”.