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The European Commission have made a call for experts for the Advisory Committee on Public Health Emergencies (PHE).

The mission of the group at the request of the Commission or the Health Security Committee, carry out the tasks set out in Articles 23 and 24 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371.

Although the Commission has considerable in-house expertise, it needs specialist advice from outside experts as a basis for sound policymaking. This may be provided by groups of experts or external consultants, or take the form of studies.

A Commission Expert group is explained here.

For more information and to apply see here – the deadline is 15 December.

Preventing and addressing antisocial behaviour will be the focus of a new independently chaired working group being set up by the Scottish Government.

Members will look at the current approach and make recommendations on what long-term changes can be made to reduce such behaviour and support victims. It is expected that the group will provide regular updates and present their conclusions to Ministers by the end of 2024.

The new group was announced following the publication of a joint report on antisocial behaviour by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Community Safety Network.

Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown, who is bringing together the working group, said:

“We want everyone to be, and feel, safe in their community and we are committed to tackling all forms of antisocial behaviour. Reported antisocial behaviour has broadly been in decline over the last decade, but the recent disorder on Bonfire Night, in particular, has shown that where issues arise, these can have a very serious impact for many people.

“The report published today recommends that we need to consider how we best develop our long-term approach to preventing and addressing this type of behaviour. That is why I will be convening an independently chaired working group. It is nearly 20 years since the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 was introduced and it is right that we examine whether this remains fit for purpose and that we assess our wider approach.

“I am grateful to those who took part in the engagement work with the Scottish Government and the Scottish Community Safety Network and shared their views and experience of antisocial behaviour. This report will inform the work of the new group.”

Director of the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice Fiona Dyer, who will be one of two chairs of the working group, said:

“I am really looking forward to working with colleagues to support the prevention of antisocial behaviour across Scotland. Research demonstrates the vital importance and value of better engaging, enabling, and supporting individuals and their communities to reduce incidents of antisocial behaviour.  

“Through encouraging actively social behaviour within local communities, we can collectively address current issues and develop an inclusive and effective strategy that Scotland will be proud of.”

Joint co-chair Lorraine Gillies, Chief Officer at the Scottish Community Safety Network, said:

“Ultimately, we believe victims will experience less antisocial behaviour with a changed approach, making our communities safer places. We believe in taking evidence-based approaches to what works to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour, focused on tackling root causes and working together with communities to find solutions.

“I welcome the publication of our co-authored report – written in partnership with the Scottish Government – and the announcement of an independent working group, set up to review antisocial behaviour in-depth. I look forward to pursuing this work and, in doing so, improving people’s lives.”

An Edinburgh councillor is calling for a Dog DNA register to be set up to tackle dog fouling across the capital.

The Conservative councillor tabled a motion on the problem at the Transport and Environment Committee on Thursday 16th November and calls for a report to be provided to the Committee presenting options to help combat dog fouling that includes improving enforcement, the use of Fixed Penalty Notices, and the practicalities of establishing a Dog DNA register for the city, how it could be enforced, likely costs to set up and run, and how much might be funded through issuance of fines.

The motion added that in 2021, only four fixed penalty fines were issued by City of Edinburgh Council reflecting the difficulties prosecuting under the current regime even though it only requires the evidence of one witness to justify a fine for dog fouling.

It also added that the number of dog fouling complaints raised by the public is low and mostly reflects apathy with lack of enforcement rather than concern about the problem.

The scheme would see dog owners having to register their pets with the council, allowing it to test samples of dog mess left in the street and issue fines accordingly.

Conservative Councillor Christopher Cowdy said efforts made so far by the authority to address the issue had not worked.

Councillor Cowdy admitted it “might take a couple of years” to get up and running but said Edinburgh could be the “vanguard for combating the national problem”.

He said: “I suppose I thought about a dog DNA test as being the only real way you can make out for definite whose dog did what.

“The general idea I’m thinking of is there would be an Edinburgh by-law that would require dog owners to register their dogs with the city council who would hold a database.

“You would be obliged to bring your dog, a DNA swab would be picked up from the dog and recorded on the database, and then if there could be a team of wardens searching for dog foul they would pick it up, take a test from it and hopefully track it down.”

He said: “There are obviously issues that most responsible dog owners pick up after their dog anyway, and irresponsible dog owners might not be inclined to register their dog in the first place.”

Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “Tackling the issue of dog fouling is a priority for us – it’s unacceptable that a small minority of owners should leave dog’s dirt anywhere in the capital. 

“So I look forward to a report coming to a future committee exploring different ways of reducing this, on top of the work already being carried out by our Waste and Cleansing teams.”

The Cows Are Mad podcast available on BBC Sounds dives into the history of the 1990s BSE epidemic. 30 years on, scientists and activists are still searching for answers to two big questions: where did Mad Cow Disease originally come from and how did humans get infected?

The podcast centres on a deserted factory in Kent that processed cows suspected of infection and exposes its vital role during the BSE outbreak in the ’80s and ’90s.

The podcast also taps into the community’s anxieties, especially as science still can’t pinpoint the disease’s origins or how it jumped to humans. It’s a compelling listen that pairs well with mystery and real-life intrigue, leaving you considering unanswered questions.

The Cows Are Mad is a natural sciences podcast by BBC Radio 4.

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have published their annual ‘Our Food’ report, which reviews food standards across the UK for 2022. This is the second report since the UK left the EU and is an independent and evidence-based annual assessment of food standards across all four nations.

Overall, food standards remained stable in 2022, despite pressures including inflation, labour shortages and the war in Ukraine. However, the report identifies shortages in key occupations needed to keep food safe, such as vets and food inspectors.

Without enough people with the right skills to deliver essential food controls, it will be more difficult to identify, monitor and respond to risks to food safety, leaving consumers and businesses vulnerable.

FSS and the FSA are calling on government, local authorities, professional bodies and industry to:

• Address the decline in local authority Trading Standards officers, Environmental Health and Food Safety officers to ensure food standards are maintained;
• Tackle the shortage of Official Veterinarians to protect animal health and welfare and trade and assure food hygiene standards;
• Share more and better-quality information across the food industry to help stop criminal gangs and tackle food crime that costs the UK up to £2 billion per year; and
• Introduce import controls on food imported from the EU to help reduce the risk of unsafe food entering the UK from the EU.

Confidence in the food system underpins an industry worth £240 billion and supports good animal welfare, farmers, food processors, international trade and the UK’s vibrant food culture.

Heather Kelman, Chair of Food Standards Scotland said: 

“It is encouraging to see that in 2022, amid several significant challenges both here in the UK and further afield, the overall safety and standards of our food has been upheld to the very high standards which we expect. 

“However, we must recognise the very significant challenges ahead and the potential problems that a lack of resourcing, specifically within environmental health officer and official veterinarian roles, may cause to the overall food system. It is now more important than ever for those who govern the system, as well as everyone involved in food production, retail and distribution, to work together to ensure food is safe and consumers and trade are protected. 

“It is critical that, together, we do everything we can to ensure we have a modernised system of assurance to support businesses that provide safe food for everyone and that the UK’s high food standards are maintained, in spite of the cost and workforce pressures we continue to face.”

Professor Susan Jebb, Chair of the Food Standards Agency, said:

“The food system across the UK experienced significant challenges throughout 2022, with the rising cost-of-living and inflation impacting grocery bills for consumers, and food businesses feeling the pressure of labour shortages and increased supply chain costs.

“Despite these pressures, I’m encouraged that our report indicates that overall, food standards have remained stable. However, food safety and standards hinge on good procedures and skilled people to ensure that the right checks are carried out. It takes time to recruit and develop these skills and we worry that without specific action to boost the workforce, specifically to recruit more official veterinarians and local authority inspectors, it will not be possible to maintain these high standards in the future.

“Failure to recruit and train professionals to key posts can have reverberations for many years to come. We ask governments across the UK, and others, to work with us to address these matters in the coming year so that people in the UK can continue to have food they can trust, and the strong reputation of British food abroad is maintained.”

Workforce data in the report shows a 14% decline in food hygiene posts in Local Authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland over the last decade, with over 13% of available posts vacant. In Scotland, the number of food law officers (undertaking both food hygiene and food standards work) has fallen by just over a quarter (25.5%) compared to 2016/17.

The number of UK food standards officers has fallen by 45% compared to 10 years ago. The UK veterinary profession has experienced a 27% decline in people joining the profession between 2019 and 2022, creating significant challenges in securing enough Official Veterinarians (OVs) for the future.

The report highlights the risks that come from these falling numbers. A lack of Official Veterinarians poses risks to animal health and welfare and the potential disruption of domestic food supply and the ability to export products of animal origin. Workforce pressure experienced by Local Authority teams risks hampering their capacity to conduct critical food safety and standards checks in food businesses.

The 2022 Annual Reports for Private Water Supplies has been published by Scotland’s Drinking Water Quality Regulator.

In 2022, the data provided to the DWQR by local authorities showed that there are 22,829 private supplies in Scotland. This data confirms that around 190,000 people live or work in premises that rely daily on a PWS. This is about 3.5% of the Scottish population. This figure, however, does not take into account the large numbers of people such as visitors and tourists who may use premises with a private water supply.

The majority of PWS are located in rural areas, though some are located in areas where there is a public supply of water available. Highland Council has the most regulated supplies, but Aberdeenshire has by far the largest number of PWS overall.

All Regulated supplies must be tested for a specific set of parameters (chemical and microbiological) that are important for public health. In 2022 the parameter with most failures was Coliform Bacteria, with 25% of samples failing this test. This compares with 23.1% in 2021. E. coli and pH were the next most commonly failing parameters, reflecting the lack of robust treatment on many private water supplies. Only one enforcement notice was issued by local authorities in 2022 for Regulated supplies.

Specific legislation and guidance is in place for PWS for local authorities. This includes The Water Intended for Human Consumption (Private Supplies) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (“the 2017 Regulations” The Water Intended for Human Consumption (Private Supplies) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (legislation.gov.uk) and The Private Water Supplies (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (“the 2006 Regulations”) The Private Water Supplies (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (legislation.gov.uk).

Global Action Plan – the organisers of Clean Air Day, the UK’s largest public engagement campaign on air pollution – are launching a new sister campaign to shine a light on the uncomfortable truth about wood burning.

Clean Air Night will bust key myths about wood burning by providing information to the public highlighting that wood burning is a significant source of air pollution that harms our health.

The campaign will run for four weeks, culminating in Clean Air Night on Wednesday 24 January 2024.

Starting at sundown (4:35pm) on Clean Air Night, leading experts will further reveal the truth about wood burning to the public through a series of videos. There will also be a Clean Air Night Summit, where organisations and local authorities can speak directly to experts and share learnings.

Clean Air Night has been developed using the latest research into how to communicate about wood burning, recently shared with the sector in a toolkit produced by Global Action Plan in partnership with Impact on Urban Health, behavioural experts Kantar and creative agency Dog, Cat & Mouse.

Any public sector or non-profit organisation who wants to see and breathe clean air can become an official supporter of Clean Air Night for free.

We will be producing free resources for supporters of Clean Air Night so they can share the truth about wood burning with the public, helping them to protect themselves, their families and their communities. This will include a communications toolkit including week-by-week social media templates, newsletter copy and downloadable posters.

There are also many ways for for-profit organisations, schools and individuals to engage with the campaign.

Ahead of 23/24 winter season, ARHAI Scotland and NHS Education for Scotland have collaborated to relaunch a set of key infection prevention and control messages, that can be used to support health and care settings.   

They comprise of 9 infographics for staff to use locally, as part of social media content, intranet posts and general Infection Prevention and Control communications which can be access here https://mailchi.mp/nes.scot.nhs.uk/winter-preparedness-202324

Check out how you can use these infographics in the following video: https://vimeo.com/870242057?share=copy

As part of the UK Government’s response to the Coroner’s report into the tragic and avoidable death of Awaab Ishak, they have published guidance on damp and mould in the home.

This guidance delivers delivers on the UK Government’s commitment in response to the Coroner’s ‘Prevention of future deaths’ report following the death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak from a severe respiratory condition due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home.

This guidance has now been published. “Guidance on understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould in the home – For social and private rented landlords and other providers of residential accommodation”, has been written in response to the Coroner’s report and recommendation that evidence on the risks of damp and mould should be made accessible to the housing sector. This new guidance clearly sets out the legal responsibilities of social and private sector landlords to their tenants and the serious health risks that damp and mould pose.

The guidance is published jointly by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the UK Health Security Agency, following extensive engagement with the housing and health sectors, including tenant representative groups.

The UK Government is clear that damp and mould should not be dismissed as a ‘lifestyle choice’ and that action to remove pervasive damp and mould must be taken by landlords. The guidance makes clear that it is the responsibility of landlords to identify the underlying causes of damp and mould – such as structural issues or inadequate ventilation – and to find long term solutions.

The guidance also sets out how living in a home with damp and mould can significantly affect the physical and mental health of tenants and outlines how people with certain health conditions, children and older adults are at greater risk of more severe health impacts.

Families are eating less healthily and turning to ready meals and processed foods due to the cost of living crisis, a BBC survey has found.

More than two-thirds of people (69%) said they considered themselves to be healthy eaters but 28% said they were eating less nutritious food because it is too expensive, according to the BBC Good Food Nation survey.

The study of 2013 adults across the UK found that 19% are eating more ready meals and processed foods because they are cheaper, while 17% are cooking less from scratch.

The survey, which looks at shopping, cooking and eating habits, found that three in five people (60%) have changed what they eat due to the rising cost of ingredients. This includes 16% who said they have cut back on organic ingredients and 12% who said they were eating less protein as they struggled to cope with higher food bills. The study found that 15% are taking more packed lunches to work to save money.

Meanwhile, over a quarter (28%) of respondents said they had changed their supermarket due to the cost of living crisis and 4% said they had used food banks or alternatives to shops. More than two-thirds of people (68%) said price was the most important factor when picking a supermarket.

Overall, 61% said the cost of living had affected their healthy eating habits in some way, including being more conscious of eating healthily because they cannot afford to get sick (18%) and eating less healthily due to stress (15%). The poll found that 13% said they were eating less healthily due to having less time to cook because of working longer hours.

More than a third of respondents (36%) said they were producing fewer leftovers, with their reasons being to save money (59%); because they are meal planning more carefully (44%); and to reduce waste to help the planet (34%). The survey found that the four most common foods people threw away were salad leaves (31%), bread (29%), fruit (24%) and vegetables (23%).

Christine Hayes, editor-in-chief of BBC Good Food, said the survey shows that “we consider ourselves a nation of healthy eaters and we care about what we eat.

“However, rising costs have impacted choices and compromises have had to be made with people buying more processed food and ready meals and swapping supermarkets to save money.”

But increasing costs have not stopped households from embracing technological innovations. Almost half of those surveyed (46%) said they owned an air fryer while another 23% said they were planning a purchase. Meanwhile, one in seven people (14%) said they had used artificial intelligence tools to create a recipe and 12% had used them to create a shopping list.

Hayes added: “The BBC Good Food Nation findings show we embrace innovations in food preparation – air fryers are now part of our everyday lives.”

Sue Davies, Which? head of food policy, said: “These findings echo our own research findings that many people are finding it more difficult to eat healthily as millions struggle with increased food prices and other high household bills.

“Supermarkets have an important role supporting people through this crisis. This includes helping customers who rely on more expensive convenience stores by ensuring they stock a range of budget products that enable people to have a healthy diet.”

The IFEH Magazine Environment & Health International October 2023 Edition is now available here.

Articles for the next addition are being sought and can be submitted to the editor at Andrew.Mathieson@anu.edu.au

Wet wipes containing plastic could be banned as part of proposals to tackle plastic and microplastic pollution.

The consultation, which is being undertaken by all four UK nations, seeks views on a proposed ban on the manufacture, supply and sale of plastic-containing wet wipes across the UK.

Wet wipes containing plastic break down into microplastics over time, which can be harmful to the environment and human health. Banning these products would help alleviate this issue, as well as reducing the volume of microplastics entering wastewater treatment plants when wrongly flushed.

Wet wipes contribute to up to 94% of sewer blockages, which can lead to damage to properties and can result in sewage-related litter entering the environment.

The consultation comes in response to public calls for action to tackle plastic pollution in waterways, and widespread support for the proposed ban.  

The Scottish Government’s consultation on a ban for single-use plastics products found most respondents supported action on wet wipes containing plastic, including a potential ban.

Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said:

“This is very welcome progress towards a goal we all want to achieve: tackling plastic pollution. Wet wipes containing plastic are an avoidable and yet a growing source of beach litter. They are unsightly; they pose risks to the environment and wildlife; and annually they contribute to around 36,000 sewer system blockages in Scotland, risking flooding and costing approximately £7 million to clear.

“This is only the first step: legislation alone cannot solve this issue and we all need to be more careful about what we flush. We continue to support Scottish Water’s ‘Nature Calls’ campaign highlighting the impact of inappropriately-flushed items and the damage they cause to our environment.

“We have already successfully delivered a ban on other single-use plastic products such as straws and cutlery – which also contribute to marine litter. This will deliver on a commitment made in our Marine Litter Strategy and is another important step on our journey towards a truly circular economy.”   

The consultation will run until 25^th November 2023.