In recent months, UK readers will have become accustomed to the scenes of rural and national devastation which have gripped the country, as a direct result of the Foot and Mouth disease.

Undoubtedly the fiscal costs of such a catastrophe have proved epic in proportions to both the farming and tourist industries. Even such dinosaurs as British Airways recently reported a stark downturn in 2001 first quarter traffic, which they attribute directly to the effects of the Foot and Mouth crisis.

None of this may come as any great surprise to those of us operating in the business aviation sector who have also noticed the impact of reduced traffic in recent months, particularly from the US. What is surprising to witness, however, is our industry’s apparent inability to establish a connection between business aviation and the epidemic itself.

Hot on the heels of the discovery of Foot and Mouth in March, the Government agencies reacted swiftly in banning all personal imports and exports of meat and meat products and dairy products into and out of the UK. The airlines based here were immediately put on notice not to offload any food waste at destinations outside the UK – a directive which currently remains in place.

MAFF (the Ministry of Agriculture Farming and Fisheries) and Port of Health collaborated over intricate measures to control the transit of meat products in an effort to halt the spread of the virus.

Fact finding visits to UK airports by three audit teams, of Environmental Health, Port of Health and Trading Standards Officers from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), resulted in in-depth scrutiny of the potential scope for illegal imports through UK airports. They also looked at the systems and checks in place to enforce the law.

The subsequent information gleaned provided further insight into the likely level of both commercial and personal illegal imports and was used to help assess the best way forward. Initial findings were presented to the FSA Board at their May 9 public meeting and resulted in clarification of local authorities’ powers to seize suspected illegal imports found inland.

At the main airports, poster points were introduced and the perils of personal imports of meat and meat products were spelt out alongside the severity of the penalties for non-compliance.

The whole focus on the issue of personal import was deemed crucial in the battle to prevent the spread of Foot and Mouth and ironically was cited as the most likely tragic cause. Whilst commercial aviation and main airport hubs embarked upon this aggressive and proactive campaign, the seemingly invisible world of business aviation and business aviation airfields sat back and watched.

Information from MAFF was sketchy and what little reached the business aviation community was widely misconstrued or ignored. As the obvious link between personal imports and general aviation was overlooked by operators, caterers and FBOs, the seemingly harmless leftovers transported from the aircraft into the FBO refrigerator – the gift of foreign meat for friends back home – were the very demons the Government and the Food Safety Agencies were battling against elsewhere.

The business aviation community, in the meantime, was bemoaning the dramatic downturn in business aviation traffic, whilst simultaneously placing in jeopardy the wider plan to bring Foot and Mouth under control by allowing passengers and crews the usual free flow of high risk foods into and out of their hubs. No policy on controlled refuse disposal of food waste was established and the few diligent caterers who advocated it were discredited as zealots.

As with other issues which impact on national safety and security, business aviation had once again been overlooked. Only now, on the back of an aggressive campaign by those knowledgeable enough in matter of food and aviation safety and capable of translating the broader MAFF and FSA directives and applying them to business aviation, are measures slowly being introduced and enforced.

Currently, all personal exports of meat and meat products remain banned. The only foodstuffs which are allowed onto the aircraft and which fall into that category, are those which are to be consumed in flight. Upon arrival into the UK, no attempt should be made to offload or hold over any meat or dairy products into the country.

All food leftovers must be gathered together and disposed of correctly via approved and licensed food companies and not dumped in FBO skips or refrigerators.

As the publicity over Foot and Mouth starts to assuage, the battle to control its spread rages on. Despite the significant absence of reporting in recent weeks, we are still registering new confirmed cases every day. Business aviation operators have a major part to play in recognising their legal responsibilities in respect of the control of personal imports and exports and acknowledging the dire consequences if they don’t.

Erica Sheward, director of sales, Castle Kitchens, erica@castle-kitchens.com