The Scottish Executive has put the proposals for dealing with any future outbreak out to consultation.

The draft guidelines cover the management and administrative structures which would be put in place.

Last year's painful events taught us much about how best to marshal the resources of all those agencies and organisations who worked so hard to eradicate foot-and-mouth from Scotland

Ross Finnie

They will be reviewed in the light of the responses from the consultation period, which ends in September, and the reports of the main inquiries into foot-and-mouth.

Scotland was officially declared free of the disease in September - more than six months after the first case was confirmed north of the border.

In all, 187 cases were recorded in Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders and almost 750,000 cattle, sheep and pigs were slaughtered.

The draft guidelines follow a review of plans for disease control and eradication in the light of the outbreak.

Rural Development Minister Ross Finnie said effective planning was crucial in controlling the disease.

"Last year's painful events taught us much about how best to marshal the resources of all those agencies and organisations who worked so hard to eradicate foot-and-mouth from Scotland," he said.

"This draft plan takes that experience and translates it into practical guidelines for prompt action should we be unfortunate enough to experience a future outbreak."