Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Evidence taken on resilience to threats from animal diseases
Conclusion
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), we took evidence from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (the Department) and the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) on the resilience to threats from animal diseases.1
Government Response Summary
The government agrees, detailing recent cross-government exercises (Pegasus, ASPEN) in 2025 to test disease response, with reports due by March 2026. From January 2026, APHA will launch a new approach to internal preparedness assurance, embedding exercising and tiered preparedness ratings.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. during 2025 and the department and APHA will apply the lessons from these: • A cross-government exercise (Exercise Pegasus), including the Devolved Governments, was carried out between September and October 2025 to test the UK government’s response to a pandemic which had a zoonotic component. The exercise consisted of three stages (1. Emergence, 2. Containment and 3. Mitigation) each involving a day of live play including Ministerial COBR meetings to test decision making. The government has committed to communicating the findings and lessons of the exercise as recommended by the Covid-19 inquiry and a post-exercise report will be delivered in due course. Further work will be carried out within Defra to ensure that lessons identified through Exercise Pegasus are addressed and applied to strengthen future preparedness. • In Autumn 2025, APHA designed and delivered Exercise ASPEN. A legislative requirement that took account of past recommendations and those contained within the NAO report 2025, the exercise explored the readiness of the United Kingdom to respond to, and recover from, a national outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. Exercise ASPEN involved over 500 participants engaging in a “real time” simulated outbreak. Participants included key partner agencies (including, but not limited to National Farmers Union, Ministry of Defence, Crown Dependencies and Food Standards Agency) and devolved governments. The exercise provided a thorough evaluation of current plans and capabilities and capacity to deliver them. A draft report will be submitted to APHA by external contractors based on an independent evaluation of the exercise by end January 2026 with a final version report to be produced by end March 2026. From January 2026 APHA will launch a new approach to internal preparedness assurance, embedding exercising as a core component. Since January 2025, APHA has implemented tiered preparedness ratings, internally referred to as indices (strategic, tactical, and operational) covering disease, pest, and invasive species threats. These indices provide a living record of response capability and capacity. Under the new model, all business units with a response role will enter a 12-month rolling exercise programme to validate preparedness against their index ratings.