Lessons learnt from the history and development of a national wildlife health surveillance scheme in England and Wales

Abstract We provide a narrative history of the first government scheme to assess wildlife health in England and Wales. The Diseases of Wildlife Scheme started on a trial basis in 1998. It became established due to the significant national disease challenges from highly pathogenic avian influenza virus and West Nile virus. The development of the scheme reflected UK Government guidance on animal disease surveillance and also external published guidance, particularly from the European Wildlife Dise